Their Unexpected Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (13 page)

He explained, “We will all want time with you, honey. Together and separately. It’s something that we will figure this out, together as a unit. I promise you, darling.” One way or another they would find their way. They would learn to do what they had to in order to ensure that their bond-mate always had anything that she wanted and needed and was happy.

“That’s very sweet of you guys.” She had her father who took care of her when he was alive, who had adored her and doted on her, but since she lost him there had been no one. She felt tears welling up and sniffed. “You have no idea what that means to me.”

Brushing her hair back from her face, he smiled down at her and nodded. “Yeah, baby, I do.” He and his brothers-in-arms did understand. They understood very well just what this meant to her. “We love you, baby. All three of us love you and we will always do whatever we need in order to keep you safe, my love,” he promised her. “Somehow and some way, I promise.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I don’t have a dangerous life then, isn’t it?” she asked with a smile. “I am just simply who I am and live life, so that’s really all that matters, right?” she asked quietly.

“Compared to us, baby, you have a very calm and quiet life,” he assured her with a smile. “I still need to talk to the brothers, but I’m sure that they will feel the same way that I do, baby. You are our life’s mission. You.”

Frowning, Kat cocked her head to the side and looked up into his face. “But what would happen with your team?” From all that they had explained, these men were a central part of the team that they worked for. She couldn’t take them from that. She would feel horrid if she took them from that life that they lived.

“They would continue on. We are a team of the three of us, one tech geek that could get anything on anyone, our boss, Bulldog, and a Beta team made up of another three men. Believe me, my love, they will continue somehow.”

“But with you as their Alpha team they would have to start over again,” she murmured. “I don’t like that.” Shaking her head, “I think that you should continue. However, with that being said I think that you should still come home to me every night if at all possible.” And she really, really hoped that it was possible because she wanted and needed these men.

“I have totally fallen in love with the three of you,” she stated bluntly when she felt Mac and Sullivan entering her bedroom again. “And that means that I want a life with you, but I know that you need a life away from me as well.” As she needed one from them. She couldn’t be defined by a man, or in her case men, and she certainly didn’t expect for them to be defined by her.

“Thank you, baby,” Sullivan said as he walked in and took a seat on the bed beside her. “We would have given up everything to be with you, baby,” he said simply. “Because we love you.”

Mac nodded and sat down at her feet. “And it’s because we love you that we would be willing to move Heaven and Earth for you, sweetheart. If you ever, ever want or need anything, all you have to do is ask and we will give it to you if we possibly can,” he assured her.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “For that. Thank you, honey.” She sighed, “Now then, Trey was telling me something about a bath?”

Grinning, Sullivan moved and scooped her up into his arms. “Why. yes, little dove, I do believe that a bath is the best thing for you, darling mine.” Leaning in, he breathed her in and nuzzled at her neck. “God, baby, you smell amazing,” he said with a low growl against her neck, allowing her to feel the vibrations of the growl.

She wiggled in his arms. “God, that feels lovely.” It went from her neck to her cunt in half a second flat. She felt her pussy become wet with just a growl and heard the inhalation of all three men. She smiled. It was silly, she knew, but she smiled there against him and licked her lips. “You can smell me, can’t you? All three of you can smell me?”

“Yes, baby, that we can,” Sullivan said unapologetically. “And you have the sweetest-smelling little pussy, darling. You taste delicious and smell even better, baby. You are truly ours,” he said with a smile. “We will just need to warn you that it’s not only us that will be able smell you.” He leaned in and nuzzled against the side of her neck. “You need to know that we can smell you when your pussy weeps for your mates, but our brothers-in-arms will be able to scent you when you need us as well. Never feel ashamed of this, baby. It’s very good that you want your mates as you do, darlin’, but I needed you to know because I didn’t want you to be blindsided when we meet the others.”

“All right.” She didn’t know how she liked that. “Well, you boys need to make sure not to make me get all wet and ready for you.” To her, it was that simple. She needed to just make sure that she didn’t begin to get wet with others around. She didn’t care if her men knew how much she wanted and needed them, but she sure as shoot didn’t want anyone else to know. Well, at least not by scent, that was.

All three men shared a look of mirth, and Mac was the one who finally said, “There is no way we are going to promise that to you, baby, because we love the way that you smell when you are gushing your sweet honey for us. We will do whatever we have to in order to ensure that you always want and need us, darlin’. We don’t care just who knows that you want and need us.”

“Oh God. I don’t think that I’m going to survive this.” She groaned, smiling into the crook of Sullivan’s neck, however, when she did so.

Squeezing her close, Sullivan smiled. “Oh, baby, you are a lying darlin’,” he told her as he looked at his brothers and then with his large hand swatted her ass nicely. “Beautiful,” he said when she squealed. Walking toward the bathroom he set her down on her feet and then looked at her, all traces of teasing gone and replaced instead with seriousness.

“Are you all right, my love?” he asked as he cupped her face in his hands.

“I will be, honey,” she assured him. “For now, the bath sounds wonderful, please.”

“Your wish is my command, darling,” he told her and reached down to ensure that the water was the perfect temperature, swirling the bath salts as he did so. “All right then, little dove.” He moved to take her hand again and helped her into the tub. “Just sit back and let me care for you, my love,” he told her softly and then moved to step into the tub with her. Sitting opposite from her in the tub, he took one of her feet into his large hands and began to massage it. Sullivan’s one and only intention was soothing her, calming her, and ensuring that she was happy and satisfied.

She felt as if she had been floating in a dream. The way that the men cared for her, the pleasure that she felt with each of their touches, it was surreal. After her long and lustful bath with Sullivan, she was soon bundled into clothing, which consisted of one of their T-shirts and a pair of her sleeping pants. She had tried to insist that they let her dress herself but the three overbearing men simply wouldn’t have it.

When she walked down the stairs, she couldn’t help but smile. These three men were in her kitchen trying to make her breakfast. It really was sweet as could be. However, they had made a complete and total mess of her kitchen, something that had her nearly shrieking. “Good lord have mercy!” she shouted at them. She couldn’t be angry, though, not when Mac looked up at her with flour on his cheeks, and Trey held an ice pack to his cheek. “Should I ask?” she said then with a giggle.

“Well, you see, sugar.” Trey moved toward her with a smile. He was determined to have her sympathy. “These two buffoons didn’t appreciate me trying to help them make your breakfast. I simply wanted to keep from giving you food poisoning, is all.” He batted his eyelashes at her as he spoke.

She couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her. Shaking her head, she then snorted, a sound that she couldn’t stop had she wanted to. “Oh God, that’s absolutely priceless,” she murmured. “All right.” She grabbed the broom and mop and passed one to each of the brothers, and then said to Trey, “Take the pan and scrape out the burnt, well, whatever that is, and wash it while these boys clean off the counters and floors for me. When this is all done, I will help you guys make breakfast.” Holding up her hand, she added, “And don’t argue with me. I haven’t had my coffee yet, so I’m more than a little cranky this morning.” Her caffeine was a very necessary thing if she was to remain calm and collected.
Darn it all to heck and back again!

As a trio the men snapped a salute and said, “Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” And then, grinning like fools, they all went off to take care of the tasks that she had given them.

Sully moved in with his broom and a cup and smiled at her. “Here, we did manage coffee. We all like it so that wasn’t an issue. But I should warn you,” he said as she took a sip and her eyes bugged, “we like it a little stronger than you do.” Winking at her, he headed over to help Mac knock the mess off the counters so he could sweep the floors.

“A little?” She coughed and hacked. Dear God, this was more than “a little stronger.” This was more like peel-the-paint-off-a-truck strong.

Chuckling, Trey scrubbed at the pans, lifting his feet when he was told. “You should get used to it, darlin’. We’re big on good strong coffee that has legs all its own.”

“Or can slowly dissolve a spoon standing upright,” Mac threw in as he swirled his mop around with intense concentration on his face.

“A man needs good strong coffee in the morning,” Trey continued, rolling his eyes. “‘It’ll put hair on your chest’ isn’t just a saying amongst us, it’s a goal.”

“Not that she needs hair on her chest,” Mac put in “helpfully,” trying to assist Trey in digging himself a hole.

“She definitely does not,” Sully said from where he was working at getting something unstuck from under the oven. He didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t letting go, and…Yup, he was pretty sure it was moving.

Katherine couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head. “All right. Rule one.” She poured the thick sludge they called coffee into the sink and went to her coffeemaker. “Don’t touch my coffeemaker,” she shot to them. “We will get you one of your own where you can make the stuff that can peel paint but please, I’m begging here, don’t mess with mine.” She loved her coffee.

All three dropped their heads. “We’re sorry,” they murmured in near unison. They were, too. They’d been trying to surprise her, do something nice for her and…well, yeah, they’d screwed the pooch. Royally.

She smiled and shook her head. “It’s all right, darlings. We will get you boys a new coffeemaker though. One that you can use for your strong stuff. I know that when I open the doors for the place I’m moving my coffeemaker up to our room. We should put yours up there as well.”

She looked at each of them hopefully and then asked, “Are you going to stay with me?” She hadn’t thought about it. They hadn’t said that they were staying, but she was hopeful after what they shared and what they told her that they would remain with her.

Shooting a look to the others, Mac answered her. “Of course we’re staying with you. You’re our bond-mate, kitten,” he said softly. “But if we ever get under your feet too much, feel free to boot us out for a while. We don’t want to crowd you.” She was pretty damn accepting, actually. Better to not rub her raw too early in the relationship. Besides, they still had a few things to work out.

“Oh, believe me, I would be more than willing to shoo you boys out if I needed space, just like I was able to tell you to leave my coffeemaker alone. I’m a strong woman. I can and will tell you when you are driving me batty.” She smiled and added, “Don’t think it will be often though.”

When she had her coffee carafe all cleaned out she put on her brand of coffee and let it brew. Inhaling deeply, she sighed. “Finally, now that is coffee.” She would get a cup of it as soon as enough spilled into the carafe. For now though she looked to the men. “All right. Thank you for cleaning up the mess.” And it had been a mess. Jesus H. Christ, her men had seriously trashed the kitchen, but she couldn’t be mad at them. Not as sweet as they were for wanting to make her breakfast.

Grabbing a large mixing bowl, she said, “I need the prepackaged pancake mix from the pantry. Grab me some blueberries from the freezer and the butter from the fridge. If you boys want meat you might want to grab either sausage or bacon so that we can get it going now.” She looked and then arched a brow. “Well, come on, guys, move it.”

Snapping salutes at her, they all said clearly, “Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” and grinned. Trey moved to the pantry to find the mix while the brothers went digging through the fridge to search out her other items.

Holding the sausages, bacon, and ham steaks, Sully smiled at her. “Can we do all three?” he asked. “We’re carnivores, darling. We will need to seriously talk about your lack of decent red meat later, too. Steaks, honey, with having Shifters as bond-mates you will need to have lots of steaks in the house.”

“I have a question,” Mac said as he pulled out the butter and then went on the hunt for the mysterious blueberries. “Why don’t you have a suite with a kitchen all your own? In fact, why are you living right here with everyone? Just seems a little odd to me being in the midst of everything. What happens when you need downtime? I mean it has got to be rough for all of the guests, of course, but you are on the sidelines and only able to do so much, and then you will be sleeping amongst it all, too,” he said and caught the looks from the other guys. “What? It’s been bugging me for a while now and I had to ask.”

“My brother has suffered several cases of severe brain damage,” Sully said, shooting Mac a look. “He may be suffering more very soon.”

Katherine shook her head. “It’s all right. I really don’t mind the question. The room that I’m in right now will one day become the caretakers’ rooms. I love this bed-and-breakfast. I love interacting with people as well because I understand where they are coming from,” she told them as she put on the sausage in one pan and laid the bacon out in strips on a cookie sheet, layering them and putting them in the oven. “For now this is going to be as healing for me as it is for them,” she told Mac simply and shrugged. “We all have our own ways of healing. This is mine. This is my refuge right now.” She moved from the stove and to her coffee, pouring herself a cup and taking a drink before continuing.