Alaskan Sabears 1: No Contest [Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting] Page 14

  They were used to giving orders and having them obeyed and he was happy that she could stand up for herself. It should keep them all on their toes and add spice to their relationship. That’s if she didn’t decide she couldn’t live on an isolated, barren, freezing island. His heart flipped in his chest and his sabear came to the surface butting his head against his insides trying to get out. Tarik knew that his animal wouldn’t settle down until he and Hodge had had a chance to discuss their living arrangements with their mate, or until they’d had a chance to reclaim her at the same time. While the bond between them was a good one, Tarik knew it would be even stronger once he and Hodge had made love to Celeste together, but they would have to prepare her to take one of them up the ass. He hoped she would be agreeable to such a carnal, erotic, intimate act.

  “Do you want anymore, love?” Hodge asked, as he put more roast beef onto his plate.

  “Uh, no thanks. I’m so full I feel as if I’ll be rolling back ho…to your place rather than walking.” Celeste glanced toward Tarik’s mom. “Thank Jenny. The meal was delicious.”

  Jenny smiled as she leaned back in her chair. “You’re welcome, sweetie, but I can’t take all the credit. Roy and Talon helped to cook.”

  “You cook?” Celeste blurted out, and then lowered her head as pink crept up her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. That was unforgivably rude.”

  Tarik winked at his dads when they both chuckled.

  “You could never be rude, honey,” Talon said.

  “You don’t have a mean bone in your body, daughter.” Roy shifted in his seat before glancing at his mate. “But don’t you worry none, girl, my woman will teach you how to be mean.”

  Jenny gasped as she swatted Roy on the arm. “Just for that comment you can do the cleaning up.”

  “No. Please let me.” Celeste rose and began to gather the empty dishes, which had held mounds of food in them. “It’s the least I can do after such a scrumptious meal.”

  Jenny smiled and nodded her head. “If you’re sure you want to, I’d be grateful.”

  Celeste nodded and took the dishes across to the kitchen. When she heard Tammy give an exasperated sigh, she glanced toward her friend from the corner of her eye. “Geez give me a break. I only just finished eating. You don’t think much of me do you, Phelan Redmond? Of course, I wouldn’t have let my best friend do all the cleaning up by herself. You’re such an ass.”

  “Watch your mouth,” Phelan growled.

  “I don’t need to,” Tammy snapped back. “You and the other bone head watch it enough for me.”

  Tammy turned her back to the room and headed toward Celeste. She rolled her eyes and smiled but Celeste could see the pain and sadness in Tammy’s brown eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Celeste whispered.

  Tammy pursed her lips and shushed her so softly Celeste almost missed the sound. Tammy moved closer and stood on tip toes before whispering in her ear. “Shifter hearing. Later.”

  Celeste nodded and began to rinse the plates before handing them over to Tammy. She caught her friend blinking a few times and knew she was close to tears. Her protective instincts raised their ugly head and before she could think about what she was doing, she turned to give Phelan and Hopper the evil eye. Either they didn’t notice her staring at them, or they just decided to ignore her, but it didn’t matter. When she noticed the way they were watching Tammy with sad wistful expressions, she turned back to her task. The two men look like they were suffering enough. She didn’t need to add her grievances to whatever was making them miserable.

  When they’d finished cleaning up, Tammy poured them each another glass of wine and nodded to the backdoor. Celeste glanced at Tarik and Hodge but they were engrossed in a conversation with Cal and Fin, so she followed her friend out to the veranda and sat in one of the many chairs lined up against the siding.

  “What’s wrong, Tam?”

  Tammy heaved in a breath and blew it out just as noisily. “Phelan and Hopper are my mates.”

  Celeste nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “They still think I’m a little girl.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.” Celeste sipped her wine. “They watch you constantly and there is so much heat in the gazes. They know and see you as a woman.”

  “Then tell me why they haven’t asked me to mate with them? They keep me at an arm’s length, but if any other man even looks sideways at me they growl and scare them off.”

  “Have you asked them?”

  “I’ve tried.” Tammy sighed. “I’ve been thinking of moving to the mainland.” She turned her gaze to Celeste. When she saw the tears in her friend’s eyes, her heart filled with sympathy. “If I wasn’t here I wouldn’t have to watch them from afar. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  “Do you really want to leave?”

  Tammy shook her head and then drained her wine glass in one go. Tears were running down her face and her lower lip was quivering. “I don’t think they even like me.” She drew in a ragged breath. “When I was a kid, they used to tease me all the time. I not like them since I can’t shift. I lo…like them, but some of their words hurt. I know they didn’t mean to cause me pain, but they did and do. Of course, I let my temper get the best of me. Having auburn colored hair—” She snorted and flicked a fiery red-brown lock. “—my ire seems to get to the burning point faster than other people. What if my anger has put them off? I’m not perfect and never proclaimed to be, but…is there something wrong with me?”

  “Tammy.” Celeste took a step closer to Tammy and then kneeled at her feet. She pulled her friend into her arms and held her while she cried. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you girlfriend. You’re funny, caring, and loyal. Do you think we’d be friends if you were a horrible person? There must be another reason they haven’t made a move. Maybe they’re scared of hurting you or intimidating you. They are big men after all. You’re petite and at least a foot shorter. Phelan and Hopper are twice your size and probably outweigh you by a good hundred pounds.”

  Tammy hiccupped as she gasped in a breath. She squeezed Celeste and then pulled back, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “You’re such a good friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thanks for listening.”

  Celeste shrugged. “That’s what friends are for. I love you, Tams. You’re the sister I never had.”

  “Me, too.” Tammy smiled and then she frowned. “What’s bothering you sis?”

  “Nothing.” Celeste shoved to her feet and then sank back into her chair.

  “I call bullshit. Something’s wrong. I can see it in your eyes.”

  She mentally debated about telling her about the text from her creepy stalker but after Tammy’s breakdown—which had never happened before—she didn’t want to add to her friend’s burdens and decided against it. “Tarik and Hodge said they needed to talk to me.”

  Tammy sat up straighter in her chair. “And that scared you?”

  She nodded.

  “Why?” Tammy frowned.

  “I’ve heard some of the other models I’ve worked with say that whenever a man says “we need to talk,” it always ends badly.”

  Tammy snorted. “Maybe for some. I’ve seen things on the internet and in magazines regarding some of your fellow colleagues. Two come to mind and I don’t blame the men they’ve been with for dumping their asses. From what I’ve gathered they’re self-centered, self-righteous, gold digging bitches.”

  Celeste snorted and then chuckled. “You’re right on that score.”

  Tammy leaned over and grasped Celeste’s hand. “You have nothing to worry about, sis. Once mated, always mated. There is no such thing as divorce or separation for you, my brother and Hodge. A mating with our kind lasts until death. I thought they would have explained this to you.”

  “Some.” Celeste shrugged.

  “I know I explained about mating, too. So, what’s really going on?” Tammy narrowed her eyes at Celeste.

  Celeste rested her head agai
nst the top of the backrest and tilted her head up. She was about to explain the text from her creepy stalker, but was figuratively saved by the bell when Tarik and Hodge stepped outside.

  “Are you ready to go, baby?” Tarik asked.

  “Yeah.” She took Tarik’s proffered hand and glanced back toward Tammy over her shoulder. “When are you coming over for dinner?”

  “I haven’t been invited.” Tammy gave her a cheeky grin. “I wouldn’t want to end up a third, no, fourth wheel.”

  “You could never be a fourth wheel,” Celeste said, raising her voice so Tammy could hear since Tarik was practically dragging her away. “You’re the sister of my heart. You don’t need an invitation but come for dinner tomorrow night. I’m cooking.”

  “What time?” Tammy yelled.

  “Come early.” Celeste pulled against Tarik’s hold. She wanted to walk back over to Tammy so they didn’t have to yell. She’d thought she’d won when he released her hand but quickly learned differently. Tarik scooped her up into his arms and slung her over his broad muscular shoulder. “Put me down, you big oaf. You’re acting like a cave man.”

  “See you tomorrow,” Tammy shouted, and then broke into peals of laughter when Tarik slapped Celeste on the ass.

  “Ow, what was that for?”

  Tarik shrugged, nearly unseating her from his shoulder. She squealed and grabbed hold of the back of his shirt with one hand before reaching down and pinching one of his butt cheeks hard. Of course, that just earned her another slap.

  “You’re going to pay for that you…you…you…Neanderthal.”

  “I look forward to it, baby.”

  “Don’t you, ‘baby’ me. I’m mad at you.” She lied and hoped like hell he couldn’t smell how turned on she was. Who would have thought she’d be aroused by his caveman-ish ways? Certainly not her.

  Tarik carried her inside, lifted her from his shoulder and plopped her in his lap as he sat on the sofa. Hodge had been unusually quiet all afternoon but when she tried to decipher what he was feeling, she couldn’t. His expression was stoic. That was until she met his brown eyes. The gleam of happiness that had been in his eyes was gone. Sadness had taken its place.

  “What’s going on? Have I done something wrong?” Celeste asked.

  Hodge shook his head but turned his gaze from hers when he shoved the coffee table closer to the sofa. When he perched on the edge of the table, he was so close to her their knees touched.

  “Did I say something inappropriate while we were at you parents’ house?” She gazed at Tarik.

  “No, baby.”

  “Then what—”

  Tarik placed his fingers over her lips cutting her off. “Just listen. Okay?”

  Celeste nodded. When Hodge clasped her hand and laced their fingers together, she turned her gaze back to him. He swallowed, licked his lips and then raised her hand to his mouth before kissing it.

  “Move in with us,” Hodge said.

  Celeste frowned because she thought she already had. “What?” As far as she was concerned the few things she’d left in her hotel room back in Seattle could go to charity. There was nothing sentimental or valuable for her to want to go back. She had planned to go back and clear out the suite she’d been living in, but after mentally going through her things she didn’t see the need. It would cost her more to fly back than just giving her stuff to someone who needed it more. She’d planned to call the manager and have him arrange for her remaining stuff to be packed up and transported to a charity group.

  “Do you hate the cold, the isolation?” Hodge frowned. “I know we don’t live in the tropics and the island is the complete opposite to some of the glamorous places you’ve been but I couldn’t survive in the city, love. Being around crowds of people constantly would drive me and my sabear nuts.” He continued before she could respond. “If you want we can take you on vacation every now and then, but we have responsibilities here. The people in this town rely on us. They’re our family.”

  “Hodge, I—”

  Tarik tugged on her ponytail. “If you can’t stand the thought of living here permanently we could try living in Seattle with you for a while. Just as long as you know we will need to come back to Savoonga regularly.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” Celeste said, before Tarik or Hodge could begin speaking again. “I love this island, and this town. I love the barren landscape and I’ve always preferred the cold to the heat.”

  She glanced to Hodge and Tarik and back again. When she saw the glimmer of hope in Hodge’s gaze she decided to go for broke. She squeezed Hodge’s hand, took Tarik’s in hers and threaded their fingers together and inhaled. “I don’t want to go back because I love you, Hodge. I love you, Tarik.”

  “You do?” Hodge asked in a hoarse voice.

  Celeste nodded. “I do. There is no place I would rather be than here with both of you.”

  Hodge kneeled on the floor, nudged the large coffee table away with his hip and then clasped her face between his hands. He stared deeply into her eyes with such fiery heat she started to shiver with arousal. “I love you, too, Celeste. So much.”

  And then his mouth was devouring hers.

  She moaned as he licked into her mouth, rubbing his tongue along before twirling it around hers. Celeste’s internal muscles clenched, forcing juices onto the crotch of her panties. Her breasts swelled and her nipples throbbed as they hardened.

  She shivered when Tarik slipped a hand beneath her shirt and began to caress her belly. She groaned with anticipation when his warm callused palm smoothed up over her belly and ribs toward her breasts.

  She’d never known such need or pleasurable rapture existed until she’d met her mates. If she could have, she would have spent the rest of her waking life in bed with Tarik and Hodge, making love with them all day long.

  They’d turned her into a nymphomaniac.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tarik hadn’t realized how tense he’d been holding himself until his mate had said she didn’t want to go back. His heart had been pounding in his chest and his bear and been pacing and moaning. Elation had replaced his trepidation and his heart filled with an overwhelming amount of love. He’d never felt so much emotion in his life and didn’t know how to handle it. Having a mate and loving her with his whole heart was so different to loving his family and friends. No matter how close she was, Tarik couldn’t seem to get close enough, and from the way Hodge was ravishing Celeste’s mouth, he felt the same way.

  Hodge slowed the kiss he was sharing with their woman until he was sipping at her lips and then he reluctantly drew back. Celeste turned toward him, and he had to close his eyes to get his raging libido under control after he’d seen her passion-hazed gaze, and her red swollen lips. Tarik wanted to pick her up and take her to bed. He wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon and night, making love with his mate and showing her just how much she meant to him.

  However much he was tempted, it wasn’t going to happen. He and Hodge had an order that had to be finished today, so it could be shipped out tomorrow. There was only a few hours’ work left on the piece and he begrudged not being able to spend time with their woman, but paying customers had to come first. They were the bread and butter of the whole town. Sometimes he wished he could just say fuck it, but they had responsibilities.

  Celeste took the initiative by turning around until she was straddling him and as she combed her fingers through his hair, and pressed her lips to his. Tarik was lost. He opened his mouth over hers, threaded his fingers into the hair knotted at the back of her head, and devoured her mouth. No matter how many times or how much he kissed her, it was nowhere near enough. Tarik wanted to spend hours—no, days—worshipping her sexy, slim body until they were so exhausted they couldn’t move. She moaned into his mouth as their tongues danced around. Although his lungs began to burn from lack of air, he was reluctant to break their connection. Again, Celeste made the first move by drawing away, panting heavily, just like him.

  “I
wish...” Tarik licked his lips savoring the sweet taste of her still on his tongue. When she shifted on his lap he had to swallow back a groan when her pussy rubbed against his hard-aching cock.

  “What do you wish, Tarik?” she asked, her voice lower and huskier than normal.

  “I wish Hodge and I didn’t have to go and finish up a piece that needs to be shipped out in the morning.”

  “What is it you’re working on?” Celeste asked.

  When she moved from his lap he wanted to haul her right back. He felt cold and bereft without her slight weight and body heat warming his larger frame, but if he so much as touched her right now, he was going to lose all control. They would end up in bed and he’d have a very disgruntled customer on his hands.

  “We’ve been working on a coffee table,” Hodge answered. “We’re done, but we need to give it a final polish and pack it so it doesn’t get damaged in transit.”

  “I can help.” She stood and after straightening her clothes started walking toward the door. “If I don’t move around I’ll end up falling asleep after eating so much delicious food at you parents’ place.”

  “You don’t have to help us, baby, but we would love to have your company.” Tarik rose and moved toward her. The job wouldn’t take very long, but the flight was scheduled to leave at four in the morning. Normally, getting up so early wouldn’t have bothered him, but that was before Celeste. Now that he had a mate, he wanted to spend as long as he could in bed, holding her in his arms. By making sure the table was ready to go, he’d have more time to spend with his mate.

  “I want to help.” She laced her fingers with his, pushed open the door and stepped out.

  Tarik smiled and followed his woman. Hodge was right behind him.

  * * * *

  “This is the coffee table?” Celeste asked, as she ran the tips of her fingers over the stained wood.

  “Yeah,” Hodge answered.

  It was a big table with two drawers on each side and, while the legs weren’t very high, the feet had been hand-carved to look like the paws of a lion or another large cat. The handles on the drawers were black and looked as if they’d come from an era long past, but fit the piece of furniture perfectly. She gently grasped one handle between her finger and thumb and tugged the drawer open. The drawer was deep and wide and had racks for storing CDs and DVDs. There was also space in front of the racks for magazines and other miscellaneous things.