“His tiger is fully in the driver’s seat.” The voice has us all turning to find Gem sitting up on the bed, rubbing the bump on the back of his head. “Did you have to hit me so hard?” he grumbles to Liam when he returns for another bucket of snow.
“Dude, you were burning us when we restrained you,” Liam argues. “We’re just lucky the suits are fireproof.”
“Sorry. My phoenix is unruly, and Brodie didn’t help by taking our mate away from us.”
Brodie has the grace to look ashamed, and he apologizes quietly, but Gem is staring at me with hunger in his eyes. He gets up and walks over to me, pulling me into his arms. He sniffs then tips my head to the side and stares at Brodie’s and Liam’s marks.
“I can’t wait to see my flames alongside those,” he murmurs, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“You have to burn me?” I ask, starting to feel a little nervous. Biting is one thing, but being burnt is a whole other issue.
“Sort of, but I promise you will feel nothing but pleasure,” he replies before releasing me when Gryffin snarls again as Liam walks inside with another bucket of snow.
“Stop that,” Gem snaps. “They are looking after our mate. If you can’t be nice, then get out until you calm down.” The verbal beatdown seems to work. Gryffin shakes his head and takes a deep breath, and we watch as his body relaxes.
“Here, maybe you’re hungry.” I hold out the bag of jerky that’s still in my hand, and the others laugh. Gryffin stands up and comes over to me, taking the bag from me.
“I’m hungry alright, but not for this.” He tosses the bag onto the chair he just got out of and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I yelp in surprise and feel slightly nauseous as he moves to the bathroom.
“Come on, Gem, our mate wants a bath, and I refuse to let her freeze.” I hear footsteps on the floor behind us but can’t lift my head high enough to look, so I’m assuming Gem is following us.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Brodie calls cheerfully. “Just light the fire when you’re ready. I set it up for you. Liam and I will shift and keep an eye on the perimeter.”
“Yell if you need us,” Gem tells him as Gryffin stops and slides me down his body. I don’t hear Brodie’s or Liam’s response, because I’m captivated by a flowing pair of ocean blue eyes.
“I need Brodie’s scent off you the first time. My tiger is livid that he took you away from us. Once the bond settles, I promise he will get on board with the others, but for now, he wants you all to himself and covered in our scent,” he explains as Gem steps up next to me. “Both of ours.” He nods at Gem who sticks a flaming hand into the tub of snow, and I watch with wide-eyed wonder as it melts and becomes a bubbling, steaming tub of water.
I don’t wait for an invitation before I strip off my uniform and climb in. It’s just big enough for me to sit in with my knees against my chest, and I groan as the hot water caresses my cold, naked skin. It’s almost painfully hot, but I love it.
Gem and Gryffin gape at me in surprise. “That should be too hot for you. I was going to get another bucket of snow to cool it,” Gem explains.
I shrug. “I’ve always liked hot baths, and even though I haven’t shifted into dragon or phoenix yet, I guess they are protecting me. This feels amazing.” I lean my head back on the rim of the tub, and they move closer. There are a couple of bottles of bath product on the small vanity counter. Gem picks one up and squirts it onto a folded washcloth, while Gryffin urges me to lean forward.
I do as they request, resting my head on my knees, and Gem washes my back and arms before encouraging me to lean back. He pauses as he takes in my breasts, which are sitting slightly above the water. He slowly moves the cloth toward them, almost like he’s waiting for me to give him permission. I give him a small nod, and he swoops in, brushing over both efficiently. He then hands it to me and steps back, his nostrils flaring.
“I’m going to light the fire,” he announces and leaves the bathroom. I raise an eyebrow at Gryffin, who was watching us both. He shrugs.
“No clue, but he was probably worried his phoenix would take over and mark you before we even got to the good part.” He holds out a hand, and I take it. Gryffin helps me stand up then takes the washcloth from my hand and runs it over my stomach and between my legs, paying close attention to my core. I know he’s just trying to rid me of Brodie’s scent, but it feels good, and I squirm, clamping my thighs together. He grins and drops the cloth into the tub before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my body, then he lifts me out of the tub and carries me back into the main room.
Gem has the fire going, and he has pulled the blankets and mattress off the cot and set them just in front of the flames. He pushed the chair back and pulled the few cushions off it, creating a little nest. Gryffin sets me down in the middle of the pile before standing upright. He and Gem exchange a wordless glance, and then both of them tear their clothes off. I giggle at their frenzied movements, but it soon dies away as they reveal their amazing bodies. They both prowl up the bed, their focus completely on me. Gryffin stops at my ankle and places a kiss on it, and I shiver at finally having his mouth on me. Gem keeps going all the way to my mouth, and I learn he tastes like smoke and whiskey, and I almost feel drunk on him.
I slide my hands into his gorgeous burgundy curls as his tongue dances with mine. My skin burns where his hands touch me, heightening everything I’m feeling. The contrast to Gryffin’s cold lips against my legs as he moves his way slowly up my body is a tease to my senses. My brain doesn’t know where to focus, so I’m kept in a state of constant change. Gem pulls back, and the small flame that usually flickers in his bourbon brown eyes is blazing, almost consuming the whole pupil. He smirks before taking one of my pebbled nipples into his mouth and rolling his tongue around the tight peak. I moan and squirm, needing to close my legs to ease the ache that’s burning deep inside, but Gryffin’s large hands push against my thighs, stopping me from moving.
“So perfect,” Gem mutters, turning his attention to my other nipple. I move to touch him, but he catches my wrists, circling them and placing them above my head. “Keep them there,” he orders, and I pout.
“But I want to touch you,” I grumble, and he grins.
“Oh, there will be plenty of touching, but let us have this. We’ve waited so long for you, and now we need to stamp our claim all over you,” he murmurs, kissing me again before moving his mouth to my neck. I feel him suck on the junction between my neck and shoulder, exactly where Brodie’s and Liam’s bites are, and I groan at the exquisite pleasure it brings me—it’s almost a mini orgasm in itself.
“Fuck!” I cry out and grip his hair like my life depends on it.
“Mating bites are sensitive. I could make you orgasm just by sucking on this spot. I can make Brodie and Liam orgasm, too, if I really wanted to,” he tells me, his eyes alight with wicked glee.
“Stop messing with our bond mates,” Gryffin grumbles, almost jealous at the idea of Gem giving the other men pleasure.
Gryffin finally gets to where I need him, having spent an unpleasant amount of time teasing every bit of flesh down there apart from where I want him. I bet my thighs are covered in hickeys from his work. Thankfully my shifter healing will have them fading quickly instead of making me look like an abuse victim. He swipes his tongue over my folds, and I arch my back off the bed. His tongue is rougher than a normal tongue, and I wonder if his tiger is getting in on the action.
“Did that feel good?” Gem whispers in my ear, tweaking one of my nipples and rolling it between two fingers, the bite of pain a sharp contrast to the feeling of Gryffin between my legs.
