Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

K ira still didn’t understand it, but she wanted Nash so badly. Almost with the same intensity she wanted Rex. Except her desire for Nash was sweeter while Rex pulled the lioness out of her.

Their lips met in a soft kiss. The kiss deepened into a sensual mating of their tongues. The feeling of his tongue sliding in and out made her body shudder. She moaned. Intense arousal flooded her core and expanded to each of her limbs. He nipped at her lips.

He held her tighter, pressing his erection into her belly. She whimpered and shut down all thoughts. Only her need for him expanded in her mind. She growled when he pulled away from her.

Suppressed desire filled his gaze almost devouring her with its intensity. “Are you sure you want to do this, Kira?” A swirl of concern danced in his eyes. “I want you. But I need you to be sure.”

“I’m sure. So sure.” Her nipples pebbled tight under her dress. “I need you.”

That was all he needed to hear. With one swift move, he lifted her onto the bed. Blood thundered in her ears and made it hard for her to hear anything. Only the pounding of her own harsh beats. She trailed her fingers down his expensive shirt. While the soft material felt nice under her fingertips, what she wanted was his skin, his hot muscled skin. She yanked on the fabric, the sound of it ripping making her lioness want to roar. She caressed his hot muscled body, her lioness purring in delight.

For a second, time stopped.

Her gaze slid over each bulge, ripple, and bulky muscle until her entire body burned with the need to be taken by him. She caressed his pecs and his small tight nipples with her thumbs. He shuddered.

She rubbed her nose over his chest, inhaling his scent. He smelled so damn good.

“Oh, Kira.”

Nash’s moan was a dose of kerosene to her already raging fire. Her sex throbbed in need. She swiped her tongue over his chest. The hunger for him flourished into monstrous proportions. She had to have him.

“God, Kira. What are you doing to me?”

She wiggled on the bed. Their lips met in another mind-muddling kiss. A more intense, hungry, and overpowering kiss. He lowered the straps on her dress and grazed his lips down to her chest. Each stroke with his mouth was a burn, a new brand he made with his lips. She wanted to tell him how badly her body burned for him. All that came out was a soft whimper.

He continued to kiss and lick her chest while his hands lowered the zipper at her spine. The material slid down, releasing her breasts from its firm hold. Her lungs quaked with each inhale. Taking a breath was nearly impossible when all she wanted to do was to stop and revel in the feel of his lips on her.

“Oh, Nash.”

He sucked her nipple into his mouth and flicked his wet tongue over it. She swore stars exploded behind her lids. She was glad for his hand on her back when she arched and pushed her breast deeper into his mouth. How her fingers ended up gripping his hair, she wasn’t sure.

He kissed his way to her other breast, leaving a trail of licks along the way. Her body yearned for more. For everything. He moved his hands to her knees, trailed his way up her thighs, and slowly lifted the skirt of her dress in the process. Her breath hitched. He yanked the dress over her head and left her spread open and panting, wearing only the wet lacy undies.

He fingered her over the damp material at her crotch. A shudder racked her when he rubbed the wet material on her clit. Her legs shook, and minor explosions went off in her core. Her lids fluttered closed.

“You’re so beautiful, so hot. So wet.” He groaned into her breast. He sucked her and rubbed her pleasure nub harder.

She was going to come. He continued to rub her over the soaked material, over and over, until she was begging for more.

“Oh my—” She groaned. Her sex throbbed, desperate to be filled. Finally, when she swore she could take no more of his delicious torture, he pushed the material to the side and dipped his digits into her sex, her muscles immediately flexing around his fingers.

Liquid lava spread through her body. She jerked her eyes open and glanced down. Silent tremors shook her and turned her blood to scorching fire. She tugged on his short hair and made him look up at her. Hunger swirled in his gaze.

“Please, Nash. I need you now!”

She pulled his hair hard and urged him to come closer. The moment his waist was within reach, she unbuckled and unzipped him without breaking the deep connection between their locked gazes. The way he clenched his jaw and the hand that gripped her thigh told her he was close to losing control. He finger fucked her so damn slowly it was like being punished and rewarded at the same time. Mesmerized by the vision of his movements, she stared as he dipped in, pulled out, and stroked the wet fingers around her clit.

With a quick gulp, she shoved his pants down and freed him. The view was so good. Thick, hard, and ready. It made her want to jump him. All her body and mind clamored for was him. Inside her. Taking her. She gripped his shaft in her fist, and he groaned. Desire scorched her from within with each thrust of his cock into her fist. She licked her lips and tried to swallow past the dryness in her throat.

“Please, Nash. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

He tore at her underwear until it ripped in half. She braced herself on the bed and lifted her butt so he could slide the soaked material from under her. She curled a hand around the base of his shaft and used her other hand to spread the moisture from the slit down his length. Her need drove her to near madness. She wanted him. Now.

As if reading her mind, he pounced on her. He stepped into her open thighs and slid his length up and down her slick sex. She panted and curled her hands around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Their lips met, and he slid into her in a fast thrust. All the way in until their pelvises touched. She gasped into the kiss.

“That feels so…”

“Amazing,” he added, finishing the sentence for her.

He hauled her closer to the bed’s edge. She whimpered. Each of his drives were better, harder, and deeper than the last. Her internal temperature and pleas increased with each thrust. She gladly gave herself over to the sensations.

He drove a hand into her hair, the strands plastered around her face and neck with perspiration, and gripped the back of her head to keep her at an angle. Each thrust filled her with him. So much heat. So much need. She tore her lips from his. Clinging to him as if her life depended on it, she moaned at the delicious friction their bodies created. He licked her jaw and bit his fingers into her thighs.

The sound of his harsh breathing by her ear added another notch to the unforgiving tension.

“You’re the only one for me.”

Almost like his words were what she’d been waiting for her, she felt her body give. A quick unraveling took place. So quickly, she’d swear it was happening on fast forward. Then she was there, jumping off the cliff and diving headfirst into bliss.

“Oh, Nash.” His name came out a choked moan. Waves of pleasure lapped over her. She held on to him and enjoyed the ride. He continued until he thrust a final time and came hard, grunting her name with his release.

“We’re meant to be together,” Nash whispered breathlessly into her ear. “A triad. Don’t fight it, love.”

As soon as she arrived home, Kira reached for her phone, desperate for advice. She dialed Maggie’s number, her sister’s warm voice filling the line.

“Kira, hey! How was your date with Nash?” Maggie asked, her tone laced with excitement.

Kira sighed, flopping onto her couch. “It was... magical, Mags. He took me stargazing, and it was just... perfect. And after, on the plane…”

“Don’t tell me,” Maggie squealed. “Did you join the mile-high club?”

“It was incredible. It was amazing. Just like it was incredible and amazing with Rex.”

“But?” Maggie prompted, sensing her sister’s hesitation.

“But... I’m so confused,” Kira admitted, her voice small. “I have feelings for both Nash and Rex, and I don’t know what to do. How can I possibly choose between them?”

Maggie was silent for a moment, considering her words. “Kira, honey, you don’t have to choose. I thought you said they’re meant to share their mate. That you’re supposed to be their third. Maybe... maybe they’re both meant to be a part of your life as mates. Each one giving you what makes them unique.”

Kira sat up, her heart racing at the thought. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, love isn’t always black and white. Sometimes, it comes in shades of gray, in unexpected forms. Don’t close yourself off to the possibility of loving them both in the ways that feel right to you.”

“They both feel perfect. I want them both so hard. So much. Each in their own way.”

Maggie listened patiently as Kira poured out her heart, confessing her confusion and the depth of her feelings for both men.

“Okay, so I have a confession,” Maggie said, her voice soft. “I actually wrote to Gerri to find you a mate. I just wanted you to be happy.”

“Did you tell her to set me up with two men?”

“No! Gerri told me that sometimes what’s right for a person isn’t just one man. Sometimes you’re meant to be a part of something truly special and that’s what you got, Kira. You’re meant to be their alpha female.”

“That’s crazy. I thought most shifters were mated in pairs.”

“No. Gerri told me that there are even whole packs that share one female.”

“Wait, that’s not this case, right? I’m not going to be everyone’s booty call right?”

“No. But a triad is no different from a two-person couple when it comes to shifters. You, Rex, and Nash in a relationship is normal.”

“I don’t know…”

“Kira, it’s possible to be meant for both of them,” Maggie reassured her. “Don’t fight it. Allow yourself to be loved and cherished. You deserve this happiness.”

Maggie’s words resonated with Kira. She ended the call feeling more at ease with her feelings, ready to explore her relationships with both Rex and Nash further. Maybe a triad wasn’t so bad when it was with men who truly wanted her and were willing to give their best in the relationship.

As she lay in bed that night, Kira’s thoughts drifted between the two men who had captured her heart. The future was uncertain, but one thing was clear: she was falling for them both. Her lioness had already deemed them both her mates, but the human side of Kira still needed to get used to the idea of being in a relationship with both.