The Tiger's Tale Page 3

  Ean could see juices flow from her pussy. Hot. Fragrant. He felt drunk.

  “Please,” she cried.

  She nearly got loose on us once, Ean thought, and wondered if Adam was listening.

  Adam fed her the slice of orange. Her lips parted, chocolate dripped on them, her tongue slipped out licking at the orange first, a slow savoring stroke that set Ean’s cock twitching. Then gently her teeth closed over the fruit and she sucked it into her mouth. The slice disappeared with a dainty slurp.

  She licked her lips.

  Ean licked his.

  Ean stood between her legs. He couldn’t say how he got there. She looked up at him and moaned, “Please, Ean.”

  Adam unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it from his waistband. “Tell him, Marie.” He shrugged his shoulders and the shirt slid off, falling to the floor in a cotton whisper. “Tell him what you want.”

  Her mouth opened but no words came. Ean thought he would lose his mind waiting.

  Adam lifted a peach slice from the bowl and ran it over his own nipple. Marie watched, hypnotized, her eyes following the peach, widening as his nipple hardened. Her tongue moistened her lips.

  “Tell him.”

  Adam dipped the peach in chocolate, arching his back, sucking in his own breath when hot chocolate met skin. Adam looked from his nipple to Marie.

  “Lick me, Ean,” she whispered.

  Then louder as Adam moved closer. “Please lick me, Ean.”

  Ean’s knees connected with the tile.

  When he nuzzled between her thighs they clamped around his head like a vise. He heard her sob, “Yes, oh yes. Lick me.”

  He could feel those two words beat like a pulse through the blood in her veins. Lick me.

  He could feel them throb inside her pussy when he dipped his tongue inside. Lick me.

  He felt them hum in her clit, rising under his tongue, reaching for him when he drew back to blow softly. Lick me!

  Ean wrapped an arm around each thigh and held her down, kept her focused on his tongue, while Adam let her have his nipples.

  Her thighs tightened their clamp on Ean’s head. Her pussy pressed upward filling his nose with heady scent, spilling nectar on his tongue, making everything but her need fall away. The whole world became that straining drive inside her, reaching out to him, sliding down the length of his tongue.

  He cupped her with it, letting her rub her little cunt along his hot raspy muscle, feeling her pace pick up as the pleasure mounted.

  His face was soaked. Dripping. Hot. Sticky.

  His fingers spread out over her hips. He could feel her thrusting up to him, mindless, free, feral. He kept her there, channeling the energy that could shift her from one body to another through his own and back into his drive to give her pleasure.

  She twisted away from Adam’s chest and cried out, “No, no, no…”

  Ean drove his tongue down inside her, ramming her with it as she twisted under him, straining to escape. He could feel her strong muscles clamping hard around him while she cried, “No.” He understood. Part of her, the human part of her, still struggled against the feline and fought against abandon. Feared it.

  Adam joined his hand to hers and Ean reached for her other hand, not losing his place. Her fingers dug into the back of his hand. He and Adam held her tight, the three of them bound by a promise only their bodies could voice.

  Adam pushed her hair from her face with his free hand. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

  Still she resisted until her whole body shook with the effort. Just as Ean wondered if the effort might shatter her, the orgasm broke through. She sat up halfway and Adam held her hard against him, her face hidden against his chest while Ean kept pleasure shuddering through her.

  Ean held his mouth over her pussy as she settled and went still, holding warmth there for her like a blanket, letting her ease back to conscious thought while aftershocks shivered through her every few seconds.

  Adam kissed her and she looked down at Ean like she was seeing him for the first time. She sent him a smile that made him go warm inside. He was pleased that she was pleased.

  She wriggled free of them and sat up, her feet dangling over the edge of the table, her chin tucked to her chest.”I’m all sticky,” she said. “Give me a minute to wash up.” She darted between them and was out of sight before either could respond.

  Ean went to the sink, twisted the tap and stood watching the water jet out. Adam tossed a dishtowel on the counter, which reminded Ean he’d come to wash his face. He splashed the water, wishing he could keep the scent of her with him but that was another socially unacceptable instinct he had to quell. When he was cleaned up he grabbed his wine and followed Adam to the dining room.

  They sat and sipped spiced wine that had gone cold.

  “She’s getting dressed,” Adam said.

  “I hear.”

  “She’s going to run.”

  Ean nodded. “I expected she would.”

  Adam took a sip of wine and shifted in his chair, as if trying to find a comfortable angle. Ean pushed the discomfort of his own erection from his mind and concentrated on the Marie problem.

  “She’s kept that tiger in her on one hell of a short leash for a long time.”

  “She’s just decided to move her into a concrete vault.”

  Ean nodded. They heard the front door whisper open and close behind her. She must be barefoot. A few seconds later the car started.

  Adam rubbed his temples like he was trying to keep a headache at bay.

  “We can’t tell her who she is, Adam.”

  “I know.”

  Ean set his mug on the table. In the hall, the grandfather clock chimed the noon hour. As if they needed a reminder that time was slipping away from them.

  “Plan B?”

  Adam dropped his hands with a sigh. “Plan B.”

  Chapter Two

  Shame heated Marie’s cheeks, made snide little comments in undertones at the back of her mind, a derisive drip, drip, drip that she wished she could argue with.

  She used to cringe when women at the office gossiped about fantasies and daring sexual escapades, phone sex or cyber sex.

  And there was nothing virtual about what she had done. What she had done would shock them. What she had done with two men, letting them drizzle her with chocolate and lap it up. She pressed her legs together and grasped the pillowcase in a tight fist, remembering Ean’s tongue, that raspy heat.

  A message light blinked on the answering machine, a red flash pulsing in the predawn black. Her clit throbbed and pulsed with that same glowing urgency. She turned her back to the phone and whacked at a lump in her pillow.

  Her body hummed with a need to go back. One dip into the sweet sensual pool that was Adam and Ean together was no easier to turn away from than turning from a box of candy after one piece. Her mouth watered for them. More than her mouth was moist and craving them. Heat flashed in the tight pocket between her legs and she clenched against the need quivering there.

  And that was why she couldn’t go back. Once wasn’t enough and could lead to one man not being enough. She knew too well how an out-of-control craving could destroy her life.

  She felt a tugging where the corner of her blanket disappeared over the futon’s edge. Her pet rabbit hopped onto the futon and a fluffy splash of white moved across the red wool blanket. Lilly’s pink nose wiggled and her ears flopped up and down until she found an opening at the blanket’s edge and burrowed in against Marie’s warmth. Marie cupped her hand over the baby rabbit, feeling the tiny life pulse warm and quick there against her stomach. Tension uncoiled and her body softened with love. She tried to focus on the love and not dwell on the ache that lurked beneath the surface.

  Her fingers ran through silky fur and the vision of a tiny head with baby fine hair flickered and went out in her mind. Cupping Lilly’s fragile body in the palm of her hand, she turned her belly up. Her finger stroked over the quivering belly and she felt Lilly going groggy and
limp under her touch. Complete trust was humbling.

  She tried to give that to Adam. She had tried today.

  She had never expected the punch of connection that shot between her and Ean. She had not expected that his voice could stroke through her body and hypnotize her as surely as she hypnotized the bunny. She swallowed hard at the memory of going soft and wet under Ean’s gaze.

  To preserve what she had with Adam meant she had to stay far, far, far from Ean.

  A soft knock at the door made her wish she could burrow under her warm blanket and hide in the dark with Lilly. It would be Adam. The blue face of the alarm clock marked the time as 5:00 a.m. No one else would call at this hour.

  She tossed the blanket aside. Chill bumps sprang up on her arms. A white tank top and white lace panties were more clothes than he preferred her wearing and might as well be nothing in the morning chill. She scooped the bunny up and carried her cradled just below her breasts, flipping on the light with her free hand.

  She opened the door to stare into the cosmic swirl of Ean’s eyes. Her stomach responded with an excited flutter. He leaned against the doorframe.

  It was freezing outside yet he wore jeans and a blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She was thinking he should have a jacket and then recalled just how hot his skin felt pressed against hers. Maybe it was better to keep him as cool as possible.

  “You should at least ask who it is.” He stepped in and past her before she could overcome her surprise and find words to send him away. “Why isn’t there a peephole in that door?”

  She shivered and shut the door. “I’m not yours to worry over, Ean.”

  It came out sounding crankier than she intended. He whirled, his lips pursed briefly, but he let the rudeness go without comment.

  He had a notebook, a thick, brown document-sized envelope and a fat manila folder tucked under one arm. Seeing her attention go there, he deposited his bundle on the coffee table. He fished in his pocket and added a flash drive to the stack.

  “Homework for you, Marie. I’m sorry about the early hour but time is critical and we can’t keep wasting it.” He turned around, taking in her one-room efficiency in a half-turn.

  Marie flinched inwardly, aware of the couch still folded out as her bed, the tangled blankets and sheets. They would still be warm from her body.

  Ean looked back to her, his eyes wide, shock evident. “Why do you live here instead of Adam’s house?”

  She lifted one shoulder and looked away. “I like my space.”

  “You like your space?” Ean did another turn. “What space?”

  In her arms the bunny scrabbled furiously. Marie hugged her tighter.

  “Okay, I don’t want to intrude on his space.” She twisted away from Ean and carried Lilly to her box in the corner. “Go home, Ean. I’m not in the mood for this and it’s too early for whatever that is.” She jabbed a finger toward the papers teetering in an unruly stack.

  Ean dropped onto her bed, elbows on knees, fingertips steepled, his chin resting on the tips of his thumbs, contemplating.

  “This doesn’t make sense, Marie.”

  Marie fussed with Lilly, picking cedar chips from her food dish. She didn’t answer, she couldn’t answer. She could feel the quiver of emotion just there in her throat. One word would give it all away.

  He moved so softly she didn’t know he was there until she felt his warmth behind her, his arms gently encircling her, his breath against her face. He nudged back her hair. Anticipation sent a shiver through her. He covered the side of her face with a wet, sloppy lick.

  The effect was like a dousing with ice water. She jumped up so fast they banged heads and she backed away from him, rubbing hers. “What is wrong with you?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He looked embarrassed.

  “Look, Ean, this thing with you and Adam isn’t going to work. Just go home, okay?”

  He moved toward her again and she kept retreating, swiping at the wet spot on her cheek with the back of her hand.

  “Why can’t it work? I know you like me.” He backed her against the refrigerator. “And I know you like being licked.”

  That comment started a tingling in the lips of her pussy. A wet trickle dampened her panties. She ducked, bracing for another sloppy lick, but he simply kissed the top of her head.

  She tried pushing at his chest and wound up thinking about how broad it was, a sprinkling of red gold hair across it. He had big firm nipples. She ran her tongue over her teeth, remembering the rubbery feeling of a nipple against it, rolling the hard nub between her teeth when they clamped down.

  This had to stop!

  She pushed him harder and he leaned back, looking down at her with a warm, I-want-you look. She cleared her throat.

  “You’ll understand why this can’t work when you’re a little older.”

  The barb didn’t work. The tip of his index finger slid along her collarbone. “Your nipples get hard when I lick you.”

  She looked down at the two dark circles rising to hard peaks under her thin shirt. He scooped her up in his arms then and headed for the bed. Heat radiated through his cotton shirt. Her knees hooked over one strong muscled arm while his other curved around her shoulders. The need to press her face into his neck and breathe in his scent was nearly overwhelming. She had to bite down on her tongue to resist tasting, right there where his Adam’s apple bobbed.

  “Now see, this is exactly what I mean. Put me down, Ean. Carrying me without my permission is immature.” She’d meant to sound stern. It came out wobbling and breathy.

  He snorted. He did put her down on the futon and sank to his knees beside it. He had that odd look in his eyes again.

  “If you lick me I will cut your tongue out!”

  He licked his lips instead and glanced around. “We’re getting off track here.”

  There was another knock at the door.

  “Adam,” Ean said, even as she thought it.

  * * * * *

  Adam waited until she had one cup of coffee and half a bagel down before launching into an explanation. They were sitting on her bed, her in the middle.

  Marie was still trying to absorb the basics. “You’re telling me that the three of us carry a rare genetic trait. That I have mirror image chromosomes?”

  Ean hadn’t paved the way for Adam’s revelations. The hungry look on Ean’s face told him all he needed to know on the subject of paving. He could still feel the heat of Marie’s arousal emanate like an aura from her body. It scented the air and made him long to peel off his clothes and do some paving of his own. He had a genetics lesson to get through first.

  “It’s more about genetics than you’ll want to know, but you have what we call ZW chromosomes. Ean and I have ZZ.”

  He wondered if he should have waited longer. When was the best time to tell her any of the details they had to share? If she had been raised among her own kind, she would have grown into who she was like every other child. But she had been raised thinking she was human and Ean was probably right, too much information at this point was not good. So they tried to frame things in as acceptable a manner as possible.

  “And fertility cycles once every seven years?”

  He nodded. “All indicators suggest that you should be ready for conception this weekend.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “This still doesn’t explain why it takes both of you to conceive.”

  She pushed up to her feet and paced around the small room. Adam could see the cat peeking out through smooth fluid motion.

  “I understand what you have been through, Marie. I know this is painful. I wouldn’t bring it up if I didn’t believe it would put a baby in your arms.”

  She ran her hands through her hair, pushing it from her face. “I know. I know.” She pivoted to face them, hands on hips. The movement lifted her breasts and thrust them forward. “I know that. But I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “Your biological parent
s would have carried these same traits.” He could have bit his tongue off as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

  “I was abandoned and adopted later by my foster parents. My biological parents were never—”

  Adam watched the realization settle in, that somehow her parents would have had to overcome the same obstacles, meaning she had two biological fathers and a mother. He didn’t want her dwelling on all the questions and revelations that bit of knowledge led to. He looked to Ean for a rescue.

  “It’s not research that gets much publicity,” Ean said. “Can you imagine the media madness that would spring up around a study like this?”

  Her lips pursed and she turned back to her pacing. Adam had a swirling, sinking feeling in his stomach, like water going down a drain. All the unspoken details left him feeling dirty. But if he told her she was genetically both human and tiger she would throw them both out. He could shift her and then there would be no denial, but what would the shock do to her psychologically? Not to mention how she would react when she’d been shifted into a tiger that could kill a man with the swipe of her paw or the snap of powerful jaws?

  “If it’s so rare, then how do you know it will work?” She was looking right at him, demanding truth with those gold-dusted blue eyes of hers. We will not go down, he promised himself. I’ll find a way to make this up to her. He took a deep breath and let the exhale carry the half-truth out of his mouth.

  “Because I have patients in my fertility study with those traits and they have conceived. The males have—forgive the terminology—what’s called a sneaky gene. The plasma membrane does not break down and allow bonding with the egg after penetration, but when the egg is penetrated by a second sperm from another ZZ male, some missing catalyst, which I don’t fully understand, allows the membranes to break down and bonding occurs.”

  “And because,” Ean added, “it worked for my wife.”

  Adam rushed to move them away from the dangerous direction Ean’s admission could take them.”I didn’t realize you carried the trait until you agreed to give me a control sample for my studies. Which, I might add, was long after we were lovers and I had fallen in love with you.”