Striped

Striped A Phases Stor y

By Abigail Barnette

Resplendence Publishing, LLC http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC 2665 S Atlantic Avenue, #349 Daytona Beach, FL 32118 Striped Copyright © 2011 Abigail Barnette Edited by Christine Allen-Riley and Jason Huffman Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-359-1 Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Electronic Release: August 2011 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

T his book is dedicated to my awesome readers. T hanks for helping me do what I love.

Chapter One

The smell of prey was difficult to ignore as Jason Martin paced the woods outside of Gwinn Close. It was even more difficult when he knew exactly what the prey was, where it was, and how good it would taste. But it was his niece’s rabbit, and it was there as bait, not as lunch. In his tiger form, a rabbit wouldn’t satisfy him anyway. Not as much as catching the asshole that had been breaking the rules would. Gwinn Close was the only sanctuary for shape shifters in North America. Everyone was supposed to follow a code of conduct that kept the town safe. Little things, like making sure a prey animal isn’t your neighbor before trying to eat them. The animal that stalked up the short rise astounded Jason. The sleek orange hide and white muzzle were all too familiar as the tiger stalked into the clearing, pink nostrils flared below aquamarine eyes. If the other shifter sensed another tiger close by, he didn’t seem to notice. And it definitely was a he. The masculine spice of strong cologne clung to him, even in animal form, and Jason’s cock twitched. It had been way too long since Mitchell had left for San Antonio. Jason didn’t mind the frequent trips to seek out other shifters, but he did mind the lack of sex. Forgetting his frustration for a moment, he watched the shifter approach the live trap with the rabbit inside. The tiger sniffed the trap, then growled and lunged. Jason shifted and stepped out from behind a tree. “Can I help you, friend?” The tiger stopped and dropped the trap, Mr. Bunnykins still safe inside. In a rippling movement that started from his head, the tiger shifted, fur blending into taut, tan human skin stretched over thick ropes of muscle.

Jason’s mouth went dry. “You caught me.” The man stood—and he used “man” loosely, since the kid couldn’t have been more than twenty-one—and brushed off his knees. The backs of his arms were marked with black tattoos that mimicked tiger stripes, and judging from the jagged dark lines that wrapped around his sides and thighs, the stripes continued all over the back of his body. No matter how hot the guy was, his behavior was seriously dangerous. Jason reminded himself of that about a hundred times in the space of a second. “What if that was a shifter in there?” The kid’s face split into a wide grin, and the corners of his green eyes crinkled with humor. “It isn’t, it’s just a rabbit.” “But you can’t know that for sure.” Jason went to the trap and righted it. Mr. Bunnykins shivered inside. “It’s not a wild rabbit in there. It’s domestic. That should have given you pause.” “Sorry, I’m new here.” The guy put his hand out. “No you’re not.” Mitchell had been receiving complaints about the new resident within a week of the tiger moving in. Jason shook his head. “I’m Mitchell’s partner. He asked me to take care of this little problem you seem to be having while he’s away.” “There’s no problem.” Above his smile, which hadn’t changed a bit, the guy’s eyes narrowed slightly. Jason didn’t have patience for these kinds of games. Macho posturing bored him. “There’s a problem when Mitchell says there is. We’ve had a couple other residents complain about being chased by a tiger when they’re out on their nightly runs. That’s not safe, and it’s not the way we do things around here.” “I wasn’t going to hurt anyone.” The guy wasn’t smiling anymore. “It’s not the way we do things around here,” Jason repeated. “We treat each other with mutual respect. Most of us are here because we lived in fear in the outside world. We don’t want to feel afraid in Gwinn Close.” “Yeah, fine.” The guy sounded penitent, at least. “I’ll stop scaring the locals.” Typical young guy, thinking he had to be scary or hard to get anywhere in the world. Jason backed down, let him have his moment. “So, you’re the one who moved into the cabin over on White Tail Lane?” Easier now that he believed he’d intimidated Jason, the guy nodded. “Sean. Warren.”

“Sean Warren, good to meet you. I’m Jason Martin.” Jason stuck his hand out for a shake. Sean laughed and shook his head while he shook his hand. “Not quite used to this casual nudity thing.” “You’ll get used to it.” It didn’t seem all that casual to Jason. The guy was delicious and naked and everything about him suggested sex, in a cocky—no pun intended—kind of way. Lord, please deliver me from this temptation. “Yeah, well. No chasing the locals. Got it.” His lopsided smile could have stopped Jason’s heart. “Look, I’m gonna just run home, stay out of trouble. You won’t be getting anymore calls.” Jason sighed. He hated telling someone how to explicitly break the rules, but… Tigers were different than other shifters. At least, Jason assumed they were. He’d never met another predatory animal, be they wolf or puma or lion, that had the same bizarre drive to be antisocial and rebellious that tigers seemed to share. It had gotten Jason into plenty of trouble when he was younger. It would get Sean into plenty of trouble now, that was damn sure and certain. “I know how hard it is,” Jason admitted wearily. “You want to go out and raise hell? Go out into Hiawatha forest proper. Our prey shifters don’t go out that way. Just be sure you don’t hurt anyone, and you don’t let anyone see you.” Sean nodded. “You know a lot about raising hell?” “I do. Just don’t tell anybody.” With a shake, Jason let the change take him over, shifting smoothly into his tiger form. He looked back with his cat eyes, just so he could savor the look of surprise on the young man’s face before he loped away through the woods.

Three days later, Jason drove to Grand Marais to pick up Mitchell. The charter plane that had brought him from Milwaukee had already landed, and Mitchell waited beside the tall, chain link fence, his bags on the ground beside him. The afternoon sunlight picked out shining highlights in his already golden hair, and his tucked-in gray t-shirt highlighted the tight column of his waist. Jason pulled up and gave him a sheepish look out the rolled down window. “You’re early.”

“You’re late,” Mitchell countered. He tossed his bags into the bed of the truck and climbed into the passenger seat, leaning over for a kiss. Jason could have devoured him. It seemed like they’d been apart for months, not a couple weeks. “How’d it go?” he asked when Mitchell sat back in his seat and buckled his seatbelt. “I’ve got a multigenerational family moving into the five bedroom over on Sturgeon Court.” Mitchell couldn’t hide his relief. Jason had been with Mitchell since the beginning of Gwinn Close, when it had just been a cleared lot in the forest with a camper parked on it. They’d lived in that fifth wheel for a year while the first house had been built, then the second and third. It had been more important to Mitchell to build a community of shifters than to build a house for them, and Jason hadn’t complained. It was important, and Jason wouldn’t have had it any other way. Now, three years later, Mitchell hadn’t slowed down. Recruiting new families of shifters to live in the safety of Gwinn Close was still his main mission. Sometimes, Jason wondered what he’d done to deserve such an amazing, selfless man. He tried not to over-think on that one. “I’m happy for you, babe. Move in date?” He eased the truck onto the road and settled in for the hour long drive. “December first. They’ve got some loose ends to wrap up. But it’ll give the builders time to finish.” Mitchell leaned his head back on the seat and sighed. “It’s good to be home.” They drove a little way in comfortable silence, until Jason couldn’t help but bring up his encounter with Sean. “I think we have our problem with that tiger taken care of.” “Warren, right?” Mitchell asked, and then corrected himself, “No, Sean. Warren is the last name.” “Yeah, him. I talked to him. Told him to go to the state forest and stay hidden if he wanted to chase prey.” Jason smiled in spite of himself. “I used Gia’s rabbit as bait.” “Mr. Bunnykins?” They laughed, and Mitchell reached for the radio dials. What Jason didn’t tell him, though he was eaten up with guilt, was that ever since meeting Sean, the tiger was all Jason could think about. He’d gone home that night with the best of intentions, to watch a little internet porn and take care of business to the nameless guys he would never meet. Instead, his brain had been filled with pornographic images of his own making, of sinking his hands into dark hair and digging his fingers into taut, tattooed buttocks.

He’d jerked off at least once a day since then, and every time to fantasies of dominating the younger shifter. Though Mitchell had always been very open about his own fantasies regarding other men, and they’d long ago come to an understanding that a harmless daydream wasn’t cheating and was perfectly natural, something held Jason back from mentioning his thoughts about Sean. That worried him even more. The ride home was easy, with little traffic, and it afforded them plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Northern Michigan. It also afforded them plenty of time to fall back into domesticity. Mitchell was the kind of man who was easy to be with. Jason would never do anything to put their relationship into jeopardy. He loved Mitchell too much. But he couldn’t get the new tiger out of his mind. Give me the strength to be a man, and not a complete idiot, he silently prayed as Mitchell put his hand affectionately on his knee.

Chapter Two

Jason was hiding something. Mitchell sat at the kitchen island, finishing his beer and watching as Jason loaded their dinner plates into the dishwasher. Uncharacteristically chatty, Jason had gone on nonstop about all the episodes of reality television Mitchell had missed during his trip. “So, Montana told him that she was going to NYU in the fall, with or without him, and taking the baby.” “We do have a DVR, you know,” Mitchell observed placidly. Before Jason could question him, his cell vibrated. He glanced down and frowned. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s Miguel Paz.” “Why would he call so late?” Jason wiped his hands on a dishtowel and leaned over the island, not to listen in, but to watch Mitchell’s face. It was something he always did, staying on the periphery of community business, always supportive, but with Mitchell’s well-being always his number one priority. It used to drive Mitchell crazy; he couldn’t see why the sanctuary wasn’t more important to Jason, why he let Mitchell make all the decisions when it was both their money and their lives invested. It had taken time, but he’d realized that while he was running around, finding new tenants and overseeing construction, Jason was taking care of Mitchell. It was hard to be resentful of someone who had the good sense to make sure you made doctor appointments and actually stopped working to eat some of the time. “Miguel, talk to me,” he said, taking another swig of beer. “I’ll talk to you all right.” Miguel Paz barely raised his voice to tell the punch line of a joke in a loud room, but he was practically shouting. Mitchell noticed Jason’s eyebrow shoot up; the conversation was clear over the tiny speakers, filling the kitchen. Miguel stormed on, “That

fucking tiger—no offense—chased Delilah all the way from our property line, clear down to the main road. I thought you were supposed to do something about this.” “Jason talked to him.” Mitchell hoped Jason knew he wasn’t throwing him under the bus, but he didn’t want to lie to Miguel, either, and pretend to have everything in hand. “Maybe he thought she was a deer,” Jason whispered. “Maybe he genuinely thought she was a deer?” Mitchell tried weakly. No matter what Sean had thought, he’d broken the rules, especially a safety rule he’d already been warned about. “He didn’t think she was a goddamned deer, because she wasn’t shifted! She was gardening. He could have killed her!” Jason held up his hands and stepped back, in a classic, “It’s your problem now,” move. Mitchell gave him the finger, and winked to soften the blow. “I’ll talk to him again. We are taking these concerns seriously, but we need everyone to understand that this guy…he’s just needing a little extra adjustment time.” “If you don’t adjust him, I will.” Miguel hung up before Mitchell could answer. “Wow.” Jason shook his head. “I’ve never heard that guy angry.” “He’s protecting his mate. I’d be that angry if some idiot chased you down and terrified you.” “Sean isn’t terrifying. To be honest, I think he’s just a dumb kid who said whatever you wanted to hear in order to get a place up here.” Jason turned back to the dishwasher and set the controls, then went to wash the silverware in the sink. Mitchell took another drink, frowning. “When you talked to him, you made it clear that this behavior is totally against the rules, right?” “I did. And I told him to go raise hell somewhere else.” Jason scrunched up his eyes like he was waiting for Mitchell to explode at him. He was tempted to. They’d discussed this before, the idea that whatever it was in tiger shifters that made them a little more rebellious, a little more dangerous, whatever it was couldn’t be tamed unless it was locked down completely. Mitchell didn’t like to lose that control, and he didn’t like Jason advising others to lose control, either. On the other hand, Mitchell remembered the struggles Jason faced when he’d tried to assimilate into living with another shifter. Even though they’d been as deeply in love then as they were now, they had clashed. Maybe Jason did understand Sean better than Mitchell could.

Then, there was another possibility. One that Jason might not like. Mitchell sighed. “Do you remember how we finally got your issue under control?” “I didn’t have an issue,” Jason said, bristling. “But I’m listening.” “I’ve been thinking about something for a while.” Good lord, was this all going to come spilling out right now? Was this the right way to broach the subject? “I’ve been thinking about…exploring the idea of…a third.” The silence was crushing. Mitchell had planned to talk to Jason about the idea ever since they’d helped Delilah move in with Miguel and Darius. All around Gwinn Close, little “packs” had begun forming. Couples that moved in were suddenly becoming trios and quartets. And while at first Mitchell wasn’t sure he wanted to build a polyamorous community, so far there hadn’t been any catastrophes. In fact, everyone seemed deliriously happy. And it wasn’t that he wasn’t deliriously happy with Jason. But he did wonder if there was something to adding a third. Maybe shifters were pack animals, no matter their animal form. “Is this because you want to help this guy out so much that you’re willing to do anything?” Jason formed his words cautiously. “Or is this something you’ve actually been thinking about?” “In the wild, tigers are solitary. Hell, half of the shifters we have here aren’t pack structured animals. But they’re happy in group relationships.” This was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute. “I’m not saying let’s run away to Utah and marry him. I’m just saying we should get to know him and maybe…leave our options open.” A slow smile spread across Jason’s face, a sign of humor to come, and Mitchell was grateful for it. “You saw his tattoos and your sheltered little all-American cock wanted to get a piece.” “No.” Not entirely. Mitchell shifted uncomfortably. There was no denying that Sean was hot. And gay, which always helped matters. And flirtatious. And yes, there was a quality of danger to him. And— “You’re over-thinking.” Jason leaned forward. “Look, we don’t have to marry the guy. We don’t even know if he’d be open to a one-off three way. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him. He looks like a porn star.”

“A porn star who just got out of prison.” Mitchell groaned and dropped his head to his hands. Jason’s fingers ruffled his hair. “You want to have some fun with this guy, fine. I’m all for it. But let’s not think we’re going in there to save him with the combined power of our awesome dicks. We still need to deal with this aggressive, antisocial thing. Just because being tamed in the bedroom was all it took for me doesn’t mean that’s going to work for this guy.” Mitchell looked up, into Jason’s sweet gray eyes. “You’re so smart.” “That’s why you’re with me.” Letting his gaze drift slowly down Jason’s chest, Mitchell shook his head. “It’s really only part of the reason.” “Jerk.” Jason peeled off his t-shirt and tossed it aside. “So, it’s getting late.” “That it is.” Mitchell pushed the stool back and stood, pulling Jason into his arms. Every separation, whether it was a week or a weekend, was way, way too long. Could he really bring another person into this? Their time together already seemed too limited. Would they be able to split it three ways? Jason reached for Mitchell’s belt and opened it with a rough tug. “You were real gentlemanly, waiting until after dinner to ravage me.” “I’m ravaging you?” Mitchell laughed as Jason backed him against the island. “What sex are you having?” “Not enough, that’s for damn sure.” Jason dropped to his knees, opening Mitchell’s zipper. He slipped his hand inside and cupped Mitchell’s balls through his cotton boxer-briefs. “Lonely?” “Horny.” Jason’s fingers slipped under Mitchell’s waistband and folded it down, then wrapped around Mitchell’s cock. He squeezed, and Mitchell hissed. He swallowed thickly. “So, what can I do to help you with this problem?” Jason stroked Mitchell’s shaft up and down. “You can let me suck your cock and fuck your brains out.” Mitchell’s knees shook at the words. There had been a time not long ago that Jason would never have taken a dominant role in their lovemaking. Now, he could bring Mitchell to the

floor with a few naughty promises, because Mitchell knew exactly how well Jason would deliver on them. Jason rose up to slide his lips around the head of Mitchell’s cock. There was no gentle teasing, nothing coy about the way he set to work devouring his lover. Mitchell groaned at the almost too-intense sensation. There was something to be said for a little build up before the main event, but he wasn’t going to complain. If this was the overture, then it was about to be an amazing show. Jason moaned low in his throat, taking almost all of Mitchell’s length into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the shaft, circling his fingers around the base to glide up and down. Mitchell dove his hands into Jason’s glossy black hair and tugged rhythmically, in time to the sweet suction on his dick. “You’re driving me crazy. I want to touch you.” With a pop, Jason released Mitchell and rose to his feet. “Then let’s go, before I bend you over this counter and make a man out of you.”

Chapter T hree

Jason could barely wait to get Mitchell upstairs to the bedroom. It had been way too long, and even a moment more seemed impossible to bear. He shed his shoes on the way up the stairs and had his jeans off the moment they got through the door. That morning, he’d put clean, crisp linens on the bed in anticipation of exactly this moment, the best part of every homecoming. Maybe not the best. The best was just having Mitchell home, in his arms again. “You look so fucking good. Did you look this good before I left?” Mitchell pulled his shirt off and kicked his jeans and boxer-briefs aside. Jason practically vaulted onto the bed. “I look this good all the time. I don’t know why you even bother to leave.” Mitchell slid onto the sheets beside him, bringing all his warm, naked skin into contact with Jason’s. Jason sighed in relief. The simplest things were sometimes the most important. His lips found Mitchell’s, and their tongues met in a long, slow slide. Mitchell tasted like beer and smelled like aftershave—manly and rugged. His fingers dug into Jason’s back, and he looped one leg over Jason’s hip. Jason ground his cock against Mitchell, the pressure teasing. Mitchell sucked a path down Jason’s neck, his teeth scraping over collarbones on a lazy path to one nipple. Jason drove his fingers into the other man’s blond hair and thrust his hips against Mitchell’s. “I’ll get there, don’t worry,” Mitchell said, smiling against Jason’s chest. His tongue swirled a path over each ridge of Jason’s stomach, and Jason couldn’t help but breathe harder. His cock strained, demanding attention, and Jason groaned. Not content to play the submissive, not this time, Jason pushed Mitchell off, to lie beside him head-to-foot. Before he could protest, Jason hooked one leg over Mitchell’s shoulders and

laid his head beside Mitchell’s thighs. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed as much of Mitchell’s cock as he could. Mitchell hissed and bucked his hips, rocking more of his shaft past Jason’s lips. Jason tilted his head slightly, aligning his throat to take Mitchell down to the base, despite his large size. Sometimes, Jason didn’t mind taking the lead, but Mitchell had never truly submitted to him. Jason wasn’t sure Mitchell even could. Their relationship had evolved to the point that Jason no longer felt the desire to be submissive all the time, and it might be nice to actually dominate someone. Would he have that chance with Sean? With Mitchell’s lips wrapped around his cock, Jason wondered what it would feel like if Sean were there, flexing his thick cock into Jason’s ass at the same time. How would Mitchell react, seeing him taken that way? Would he be too jealous and call the whole thing off? Not that Sean would get to fuck either of them the first few times. Jason shivered, remembering how long he’d waited, bent over the back of Mitchell’s old leather sofa, ready to be fucked. Mitchell had made him wait for hours, teasing him the entire time. Forcing him to watch as Mitchell jerked off, while Jason was unable to touch himself. Jason moaned around Mitchell’s cock. His own surged as Mitchell bobbed his head, sucking hard. He wouldn’t be able to take anymore, and neither would Mitchell, judging from the way he thrust against Jason’s mouth. Mitchell halted, gasping for breath. “Are you thinking about what I’m thinking about?” “Sean?” Jason admitted with a chuckle as he sat up. “Yeah.” “All the things you want to do to him?” Mitchell shook his head. “Would it be a mistake, do you think?” “I think it would be a mistake to sit here and talk ourselves out of it. You know, instead of fucking.” Mitchell grinned and slapped his palm against the side of Jason’s head in an affectionate admonition before driving his fingers into Jason’s hair and pulling him down for a kiss. Jason didn’t have long to savor Mitchell’s mouth before he pushed Jason to the bed. “Get the lube.” Doing as he was told, Jason shivered with excitement low in his stomach. He reached into the bedside drawer and pulled out the bottle, passing it to Mitchell.

“Hands and knees,” Mitchell ordered gruffly. Though Jason had been the one to instigate, as always, Mitchell’s dominant side took over, and willingly, Jason submitted. He braced himself for Mitchell’s touch, listening as the other man squirted the lubricant onto his hands and rubbed them together slightly to warm them. Not that it helped much. The slick wetness was still shockingly cool when Mitchell brought his fingers to the cleft of Jason’s ass, his other arm wrapping around to grip Jason’s cock. Jason jerked his hips forward, not quite sure whether he wanted to press back against Mitchell’s fingers probing his tight hole, or lean into Mitchell’s grasping hand. With hands that knew his lover’s body the way some guys knew their way around a particularly finicky old truck engine, Mitchell eased two fingers into Jason, curling and rubbing with gentle friction that drove Jason crazy. Almost more unbearable than the physical punishments Mitchell sometimes employed in their lovemaking, the gentle, knowing touches brought Jason to the brink. Only his own willpower held him back as Mitchell stretched him with one hand and worked his shaft with the other. Jason refused to come, not before Mitchell was inside him, pounding him into the mattress with all that pent up energy from Mitchell’s long absence. Jason didn’t want to come until they were shaking with exhaustion, breathing hard and sweating enough to soak the damn mattress. “Are you ready for me?” Mitchell asked, squeezing Jason’s cock. He’d been ready for him since he’d picked Mitchell up at the air field. “Fuck me.” Mitchell’s hands disappeared from Jason’s body for a moment, and Jason knew that Mitchell was applying lube to his long, thick cock, preparing it to slide into Jason’s body. Mitchell knelt between Jason’s legs, nudging them apart with his knees, and Jason complied, flexing his forearms and dropping to his elbows on the mattress. Cold fingers slipped into the cleft of his ass again, depositing a cupped handful of lube there. Because of Mitchell’s size, both of them benefited from the extra help. When Mitchell leaned forward, his cock opened Jason easily, most of the head inside before Jason felt the slight burn and forced himself to relax. Slowly, rocking in and out a few centimeters before inching forward, Mitchell eased in, his fingers gripping Jason’s hips, denting the tight skin and hard muscle as he struggled to maintain his control. He pressed all the way in, almost too deep, then slowly withdrew. Jason took long, slow breaths, keeping himself receptive for the first few, gentle thrusts. This was the punishment before the reward, and he welcomed it.

“Let me know when it’s okay,” Mitchell said as he reached beneath them to grip Jason’s cock. Slowly, he stroked Jason, his hand coated with lube. Blood surged to Jason’s cock, his pulse leaping under Mitchell’s firm grip. “It’s okay,” he moaned, needing to thrust his hips and speed Mitchell’s hand. “Fuck me.” Mitchell obliged, sliding in and out of Jason’s ass slowly, carefully picking up speed when Jason pushed back. They’d been together so long, they knew each others’ sexual cues the same way they knew their own wants and desires. Jason had never experienced anything so incredible as being perfectly in tune with Mitchell. He threw back his head and groaned, cold shivers traveling in waves up and down his back. They strained together, Mitchell stroking him to a climax so strong that Jason’s toes cramped as they dug into Mitchell’s calves. Seconds later, Mitchell followed, his thighs trembling against the backs of Jason’s as he slumped over him. Mitchell kissed the back of Jason’s neck, then again between his shoulder blades before pulling out and rolling onto his side of the bed. “I say…shower. Then, catch up on DVR.” Rubbing his face in the pillow, Jason laughed. “Glad to see that you’ve got the transition from home and away down.” Later, while Mitchell lay with his head on Jason’s lap as they watched television, Mitchell said casually, “What do you think of going out to Sean’s in the morning?” “I think…” Jason started carefully. “I think it’s either going to be horribly awkward, or it’s going to be unbearably awkward. “But we do need to talk to him.” Mitchell fell quiet for a few moments, and though his attention seemed focused on the television, Jason knew he was miles away. Then he said, with the same firm resolve he always displayed when he made up his mind and wouldn’t be swayed. “I do awkward well.” Jason laughed. “You do everything well.”

Chapter F our

Sean’s cabin was the smallest in the development, one of the efficiency fishing cabins that Mitchell had planned to rent to vacationing shifters who couldn’t move to Gwinn Close full time. Sean was a young guy, and young guys rarely had enough money for the kind of houses in the sanctuary, so Mitchell had repurposed the cabin. He’d worried a little about renting to someone Sean’s age, and to a tiger, but the grounds were meticulous, and he’d even planted a neat little vegetable garden on the sunny side of the yard. Probably alerted by the dust and crunch of tires on gravel, Sean came to the screen door. He stepped out, raising his forearm above his eyes to shield the glare of the late-morning sun. His shirtless torso rippled, muscles moving under tight, tanned skin without a blemish anywhere, but for the writhing black stripes that marked his back. “Good lord,” Mitchell said under his breath. “I know. I know.” Jason’s voice held a hopelessness that was almost comical. At least, Mitchell knew that they were both thinking exactly the same thing: though they were in pretty good shape, especially for guys in the forties, just looking at Sean’s taut, toned body made them feel incredibly old and unattractive. “Morning,” Sean called, dropping his arm and reaching for the t-shirt flung over the back of a patio chair. No, no, don’t do that on our account, Mitchell thought, then was immediately struck with guilt. He wasn’t here to flirt. He was here to take care of a problem. “Good morning. Sorry to intrude like this, but there’s something we need to talk about—the sooner, the better.” “Sounds serious.” Sean squinted against the sun and gave them a lopsided grin as he balled the shirt up and tossed it over his shoulder at the door.

“It has to do with whether or not you fit in here in Gwinn Close and whether you should stay in this community.” Mitchell was grateful for Jason’s firm tone. There was no better way to put things, judging from the way Sean’s face fell. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, the sun picking out copper strands in the black. “Oh man. This is about that lady?” “Her name is Delilah,” Jason continued. “And her boyfriends aren’t real keen on you terrorizing her.” “You make it sound like it’s been habitual. It was just that one time, I swear,” Sean said, his tone becoming more serious as he seemed to realize just how deep in the shit he was. Mitchell folded his arms over his chest. “Maybe this once with Delilah, but there were complaints before that. I sent Jason to talk to you about it. Do you remember that?” “Oh, that?” Sean’s grin returned. “I thought it was a flimsy pretext to try and pick me up.” In the awkward silence—that Sean seemed to greatly enjoy—Jason cleared his throat. “I think I made it pretty clear that your behavior wasn’t going to be tolerated. And I’m kind of mad that you’re making me look like an asshole right now.” Immediately, Sean’s smile faded. “Look, man, I’m sorry. That was rude. You did tell me to keep it out of the community, go look for fun somewhere safe. It’s just…it’s like an addiction, you know? I feel like I have to get out there and chase and pounce…you might not think you get it, but I think you do.” Mitchell noticed that Sean looked to Jason for understanding. Mitchell searched his memory, to see if the subject of his animal form had ever come up in his conversations with Sean. Usually, it was something that came out right away, but Sean hadn’t been as interested in Mitchell’s background as most residents had been. It wasn’t out of self-centered interest that Sean hadn’t asked so many questions, but the opposite. The guy had been looking for someone to trust, and he’d wanted to believe in Gwinn Close, so much so that he hadn’t wanted to get too close to any ugly truths. Mitchell had been able to tell from the kid’s body language, and the words he’d used when they’d discussed the terms, the same way he could tell when a person had a whole lot of questions because they were testing to see if it was a scam.

“I think we should probably go inside and talk, if that’s okay with you?” Mitchell suggested. Sean looked at Jason warily, then nodded. “Sure. Come on in.” Mitchell and Jason had bickered through several debates before they’d decided to let Sean live in the fishing cabin. Jason had given many sermons about the uncleanliness of young, single men—“and you know I’m right, because we used to be them!”—all, Mitchell was relieved to see, had been completely unnecessary. The tiny cabin was spotless, the very limited counter space wiped clean and shining, the pine floors gleaming. Instead of curtains, Sean had put up white linen shades, giving the unfinished wooden beams and ceiling a modern touch. In the front of the cabin, huge windows displayed an excellent view of the sun-kissed lake, and Sean invited them into the living area with a gesture. “Sorry, not a lot of seating. I don’t ‘entertain’.” He made quotes with his fingers and sat on the end of the full-size bed, made up in homey looking quilts. Probably hand-sewn for him when he was a kid, because as Jason had reminded Mitchell over and over again, “Young guys don’t have any money.” Mitchell remained standing, while Jason sat cross-legged on the floor. “Did Jason tell you what kind of a shifter I was?” “If he did, I don’t remember,” Sean admitted. “Mitchell is a tiger,” Jason supplied for him. “Malaysian, same as you.” “And you,” Sean reminded him. Jason nodded “Mitchell is one of the most experienced shifters I’ve ever met. He’s so in tune with our primal energy, he understands us in a way that I have never found in any other person.” “You’re lucky to have him, then,” Sean said politely. “What does this have to do with me?” Mitchell considered his approach. “When Jason and I first got together, he had some problems with control, the same ones you’re having now. He would become irrationally, violently opposed to anything that could possibly be construed as a rule. If I asked him to not call me after ten, he’d call at ten-thirty. If I told him I thought we should spend more time together, he pulled away. But I stuck with him, because I had gone through the same thing. It’s difficult being a shifter, and a tiger shifter, especially.”

“I think it’s because we’re supposed to be solitary animals, in our animal forms,” Jason broke in. “But as men, we don’t want to be solitary. We want to seek out the company of other people, but our shifted form only sees them as intruders on our solitude.” “I don’t know much about tigers,” Sean admitted sheepishly, “but I know what you mean.” “I learned at a very young age that I wanted to be around people. I want the approval of the ‘pack’ to use canine terminology. So, I had to discipline myself, and break the hold my tiger had over me.” Mitchell glanced at Jason, who returned his gaze supportively. “Together, we managed to subdue that particular tiger instinct in Jason, as well.” Sean had leaned slightly forward, his hands braced on his sides, elbows akimbo. His eyes widened as he looked from Mitchell to Jason. “How?” With an embarrassed laugh, Jason scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Okay, maybe this time I am trying to pick you up.” Quickly, Mitchell explained, “Through sexual dominance and submission games. I thought if he could learn to give up that desire to be dominant and solitary in the bedroom, he would have the confidence to do it in other areas of his life.” Sean raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” Mitchell spread his hands helplessly. “Wow. That is the most insanely complicated lie to try and get me into bed that I’ve ever heard.” Sean laughed. “You could have just said, ‘hey, man, wanna three way?’ and I would have been down.” Jason laughed, too. “No, I realize how insane it sounds, but hear me out. It really did work. I wouldn’t use our natures as shifters to get laid. That’s not ethical. It’s downright skeezy.” Now Sean wasn’t laughing. He looked downright uncomfortable. “Look, I’m down with…most stuff. Sexually. I came onto you pretty hardcore when you first approached me, remember, Mitch?” Jason raised his eyebrows at that. The younger man went on, seemingly unaware of the relationship trap he’d laid for Mitchell, the one that would spring the second he and Jason were in the car. Sean shook his head. “I don’t know you guys well enough to let you tie me up. And I sure as hell don’t need any pack mentality hive mind thing going on. I’m a loner.”

“Lone tigers are fine. If they’re just tigers,” Jason explained. “You’re not just a tiger. You’re not just a human. You’re a shifter. That’s something completely different from your animal. I had a hard time trusting at first, too. Give it some time, let us know. The offer is there.” “But if I don’t comply, you’ll kick me out,” Sean shot back, his tone surprisingly wounded for a person who wanted to be a loner. “You’re kicked out if you don’t start following the rules,” Mitchell amended for him. The last thing he needed was some rumor floating around that he propositioned young guys and threw them out on their asses if they didn’t give it up. “I want you to be very clear on that. Accept our offer or don’t, that has no bearing on whether or not you stay here. But if I get any more complaints, I’m going to have to send you packing.” “I’ll remember.” Sean got to his feet and stuck his hand out, shaking theirs in turns. “Well, I have some work I need to get to, so…” “We won’t take up any more of your time,” Jason said apologetically. When they were safely inside the car, he backed down the drive, his attention focused on keeping the truck in the twin ruts. “Well, that went well.” Mitchell shook his head, gaze concentrated on what he could see of Sean’s tattooed back as the man walked away from the house, toward the water. He hadn’t expected Sean to jump for the opportunity. It had actually gone better than Mitchell had expected. “Give him two days. We’ll hear from him again.” In the meantime, Mitchell just hoped Sean would control his impulses.

Chapter F ive

Two nights. It had been two long, hot, sleepless nights since Mitchell and Jason had shown up at Sean’s house unannounced and invited him into a threesome. Not just a threesome, but a kinky, BDSM kind of threesome. How did they expect him to sleep after imagining something like that? Sean kicked off the sheet and stood, pacing in the hot darkness of the cabin. The air conditioner was on, but it was no match for the near-record temperatures that turned the air into a stifling, humid blanket. It wasn’t that he was hurting for sexual partners. He was hot, and he knew it. He could go into any bar in the UP and probably leave with a guy. He’d be real careful, because it wasn’t the most enlightened place he’d ever been, but he didn’t doubt that at least some of the beard growin’, plaid wearin’ Paul Bunyan types in town spent more time in the closet than they did in the woods. He’d done the promiscuous thing, though, and it hadn’t been as fun after a few years. He really wanted a fresh start, and he didn’t want to complicate his standing in Gwinn Close. But it was getting harder to toe the line without some other outlet for his…stress. It wasn’t that he’d replaced sex with chasing down innocent residents of the community. That would be just silly. It was just that it was harder to control his tiger when he wasn’t being bad in human form. He didn’t want to have to leave the sanctuary, but he didn’t want to be pacing like a caged animal, either. And that was exactly what he was doing, looking out the front windows at the dark lake. A few lights glimmered on the opposite side, from the houses the richer members of Gwinn Close could afford to live in. They all managed to fit in and be normal, or as normal as shifters could be. What the hell was his problem?

Even if it was a matter of just letting Jason and Mitchell go to town on him with a paddle and restraints, would it be worth it to change something that seemed an integral part of his experience as a shifter? The answer his dick would give would be an unequivocal “yes”. Though both of them were older than Jason by at least fifteen years, they were scorching hot. Jason in that dark, chiseled-yet-boyish, George Clooney kind of way, and Mitchell in a blond, all-American hottie way. They looked like they should be coaching high school basketball or something and making all the moms swoon. Instead, they’d founded Gwinn Close. Maybe that’s how they’d channeled all that extra tiger energy. He didn’t believe for a moment that the guys were trying to scam an easy lay. He could have told in the first five minutes of meeting either of them that they just weren’t like that. What he feared was that they were right, they’d be able to “tame” something in him, something he wasn’t sure he wanted suppressed. But the thought of being on his knees before them, possibly bound, totally at their mercy…his cock hardened and he reached down to cup himself, shivering at the touch of his own hand. Before he knew what he was doing, the phone was in his hand, and he pulled up Mitchell’s number. It was late, but what the hell. They wouldn’t kick him out of the community for a late night booty call, would they? Jason answered on the second ring, and Sean swallowed before he said, “Hey. It’s Sean.” Dead silence met him on the other end of the line, then Jason laughed, the sound drenched in disbelief. “Well, I’ll be.” “Sorry?” Sean smoothed the palm of his free hand down his thigh, using tremendous willpower to not start jacking off while they talked on the phone. No, that was definitely bad manners. “Nothing. Just the other day, something Mitchell said. What do you need?” Your cock in me. Sean cleared his throat. “I was thinking it might be a good idea to take you guys up on your offer.” Silence again, and then Jason said, “How soon can you be here?” It was tempting to drop the phone and sprint to the car right then. But he didn’t want to seem too eager. “Tonight, huh? Isn’t that a little soon?”

“Then why did you call at 11:30?” Touché. “I don’t want to impose. But if tonight is the night…” “We’re here. How long until you can be here?” Jason asked again. No nonsense, just like Mitchell. God, would Sean turn into that? Knowing what he wanted and just…being forthright about it? He considered his answer. “Half hour?” Jason conferred with Mitchell on the other end, the sound muffled by Jason’s palm over the receiver. There was a rustling, and Jason returned with, “That will be fine. And Sean?” “Yeah?” “We won’t do anything that you don’t want, tonight.” Sean’s cock strained at those words, and he gripped his shaft at the base, sliding his fingers up to the tip. “I’ll be right over.” The half hour gave him time to shower and dress in a white tank and a broken-in pair of jeans. He pulled on his work boots and grabbed his keys off the counter. Every step he took on the short walk to the car sent a shock of nervousness straight to his belly. The drive was worse, but he finally pulled into the driveway of the big, white stone house. The outside lights were on, attracting mosquitoes, and he made a run for the door, which thankfully opened from inside as he swatted the insects away from his face. “Whoa, whoa,” Mitchell laughed as Sean collided with him, his arms catching Sean around the waist. “Going somewhere in a hurry?” “Don’t want to get eaten alive,” Sean rubbed the back of his neck, certain he could feel the little bloodsuckers crawling on him. Jason stood just behind Mitchell, clad in a pair of green plaid pajama bottoms and nothing else. “You came to the wrong place. Come on in.” He followed Mitchell and Jason across the entryway. To one side, he spotted a kitchen. To the other, what looked like an enormous home office. They walked beside the staircase, to a door that Jason opened. “Is this like a sex dungeon or something?” Sean asked with nervous humor as they stepped into the brick walled room. “More like a part-time rec room, part time sex dungeon,” Jason joked, flipping on the lights.

At one end, a covered pool table sat beneath a long stained glass light fixture. Posters from old movies hung on the walls, and a small wet bar was tucked in the corner. There was a huge flat-screen television on the wall and a big, soft-looking sofa that looked literally made out of pillows. Jason dropped on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. “We wanted to talk to you, to make sure we all know each others’ comfort levels—that kind of thing.” The drive over hadn’t helped Sean get himself under control any better, and now they wanted to sit and talk? Mitchell stepped behind him, so close Sean wanted to push back. The older man’s hands fell on Sean’s shoulders and traced long sweeps down his arms. “You’re really impatient, aren’t you?” “Be careful how you answer, it will be used against you,” Jason said with a chuckle. “This is how it works. You’ll be submissive to us, but most of all, to Mitchell.” “On the food chain, you’re higher than me but under him?” Sean asked for clarity, which was becoming more and more difficult to get a real grip on. Mitchell’s hands traced a pattern over Sean’s back. “Take this off,” Mitchell ordered, tugging at the shirt, and Sean pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. “Exactly,” Jason said, his eyes fixed on the two men before him. His gaze followed Mitchell’s hands across Sean’s pecs, lazily circling his nipples. “Mitchell is in charge, but you also have to listen to me. Call it... instilling pack mentality. Now, if at any point, you become uncomfortable, you’ll be able to say a safe word that you pick, and the game will be over.” “I have to pick it, huh?” Sean tried to pay attention to something other than Mitchell’s hot, shirtless chest pressed against his back as Mitchell stroked over the hard ridges of Sean’s abs. He cast his gaze around the room, and finally settled on, “Casablanca.” “Casablanca?” Jason grinned and turned his head to look at the poster. “Okay, good choice. Any questions?” Mitchell’s fingers popped the button on Sean’s jeans. “Take these off, as well.” “Aren’t you going to ask what I do?” Sean slipped his jeans down, revealing the nakedness underneath. His cock was impressive, he’d been with enough guys to know it. Jason’s

eyebrows lifted a little as he looked it over. Sean grinned. “You know, am I bottom, am I top, do I do bareback, swallow, that kind of thing?” Jason looked as though he had to forcibly tear his gaze from Sean’s cock. Jason reached into his pajama pants and freed his own cock, stroking up and down as he spoke, almost causal in an absurd way. “Oh, we’re into safe sex. We’re both clean, and we’d like to keep it that way. As for top or bottom? You’ll just have to forget about any distinction there. You’ll do what we tell you to.” “Oh, will I?” Sean smiled and took his own cock in his hand. “I’ll play along. When do we start?” “We already have,” Mitchell said close to his ear. “Drop your hand.” He laughed in dismay, but let go of his cock. “Fine.” “I didn’t ask you to talk back,” Mitchell said, walking a slow circle around Sean. He’d already removed his jeans, and stood before Sean in a pair of snug black briefs. “Get on your knees.” Sean suppressed his desire to quip back. He’d never really played submissive before, but he was a firm believer in trying anything at least once. If he was going to do this, he would do it right. Jason still sat on the couch, stroking himself. A bead of fluid appeared at the tip of his cock, and he rubbed his palm over it, smoothing it down his shaft. Sean’s mouth watered, god help him. Actually watered. “How does that feel, Jason?” Mitchell asked, still standing with the bulge in his shorts at Sean’s eye level. Jason’s head dropped back and he groaned, but he didn’t quicken his leisurely pace. “It feels fucking amazing.” “Watch him, Sean,” Mitchell said, walking to a tall wicker basket against the wall. He pulled the lid off and removed something, Sean didn’t need the command. He was already focused on Jason jerking himself off not five feet away. He wanted to touch Jason. He wanted to touch himself. But he knew that probably wouldn’t be allowed.

Mitchell busied himself doing something that seemed completely unimportant behind the couch. Jason’s hand moved up and down, stretching the skin of his cock taut on the downward

stroke, rolling his foreskin over the head as his fist moved up. He didn’t pump his hips, as Sean felt the urge to do, but the muscles of his abdomen contracted and released in quick flutters as he relentlessly stroked himself. Every breath Sean took seemed connected to the sight of Jason’s fist working up and down his thick shaft. In a fiery arc through his body, from inhale to exhale, it seemed as though Jason’s hand manipulated Sean’s cock. If Sean touched himself, he would come; he might just from watching Jason. Without realizing he’d done it, Sean’s hand closed around the base of his own shaft. Jason’s eyes widened as he watched, his breathing became heavier and he picked up his pace. “That’s enough, you two,” Mitchell warned, and with a groan of protest, Jason moved his hand away from his cock. Sean couldn’t. Not if someone had told him his mother was going to walk through the door. Not if the house was on fire and they had to run for their lives. He felt the stirring of a long denied orgasm, knew it would take only a few more strokes and he’d have relief from the torturous desire that had gripped him for the past two days. But it would be worth it, he knew that. Because he’d jerked off plenty, he’d imagined this scenario so many ways in the past forty-eight hours. So he couldn’t just get off and shake hands and say good night. “Restrain him,” Mitchell said, almost absently. He still fiddled with something strappy and buckle-covered behind the couch. Jason slid from the couch and pulled down his pajamas, kicking them aside. He went to the wicker basket and returned to Jason with some cuffs made of nylon rope and padded black cloth. He knelt behind Sean, between his legs. Jason’s big, hard cock nestled against the cleft of Sean’s ass, and he pushed back, grinding against it as Jason guided Sean’s hands behind his back and secured them with the soft cuffs. Even after Sean was restrained, Jason didn’t move away, hooking his arms under Sean’s chest and humping against him, his prick sliding up and down against Sean’s ass. “That’s enough, Jason, go back to the couch,” Mitchell ordered. “Fuck!” Jason went back to the couch and sat, looking miserable with his dick red and almost visibly throbbing against his stomach.

“Be a big boy, or you don’t get to play.” Mitchell lifted the mess of straps up and looped one of the metal rings over a thick hook that hung unobtrusively from the ceiling. “Now, Sean…have you ever been in a swing?”

Chapter Six

Jason’s mouth went dry at the sight of the swing. He looked at Sean, who looked like he would agree to anything to have an orgasm, and Jason almost laughed. Mitchell had promised that the new tiger would call them within two days, and he’d been right on the money. He’d also apparently been right when he’d said that during those intervening hours, Sean would be consumed with nothing but thoughts of what would happen if they did hook up. It had been the same for Jason. Ever since Mitchell had suggested it, and ever since they’d gone to see Sean, Jason had constructed a thousand fantasies about what it would be like if he and his lover fucked the younger tiger. Mitchell had given it thought, too, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone straight to the swing. A cold shiver of anticipation went up Jason’s back at the sight of it, and a twinge of jealousy. Jason loved to be in the swing, totally at Mitchell’s mercy. It would be difficult to watch someone else get all that pleasure instead. “How do you want me?” Sean asked, getting to his feet and walking toward Mitchell. That was a mistake. Jason had learned long ago that Mitchell took the game seriously, and independent thought didn’t get a person any closer to the sublime headspace of true submission. “I didn’t ask you to come over here.” Mitchell nodded toward the basket. “Jason, I think you should discipline him.” Though he rarely took a dominant role, the thought of wielding sexual power over Sean, keeping him tense with frustration, denying him release, almost made Jason shoot right then. He went to the basket and pulled out the soft, rubber flogger, with its thin, spaghetti-like tails. “Remember your word?” Mitchell asked calmly. Jason heard Sean’s laugh. “I’m not going to say it.”

“Fine, so long as you remember it.” Jason took up a position behind Sean. “How many, Mitchell?” Mitchell considered. “Five. Not too heavy-handed.” Jason tested the flogger out on his own arm first, partially because he liked the feeling of the small tails biting at his skin, partially because he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t over do it and spoil the experience for Sean. And another, darker part of him really liked the way Sean jumped at the sound. The next time he heard that sound, it would be when Jason slapped the tails of the flogger against those taut buttocks, raising angry red welts on that tattooed skin. Mitchell stepped in to remove the restraints and refasten them around Sean’s wrists with his hands in front of his body, so they wouldn’t interfere with the whip. “Interesting tattoos,” Jason said aloud, swinging the flogger a little before letting it slap against Sean’s ass with a satisfying snap. “Tell me about them.” Sean hissed, the muscles in his ass jumping as he waited for the next blow. “Nothing to tell. They match my stripes when I’m shifted. I like having the reminder.” “You don’t think that maybe that’s part of your problem?” Jason whipped him again with the flogger, Sean’s skin turning red even as Jason watched. “Having that constant reminder that you’re…above everyone else?” “I’m not above everyone else.” There was a hint of pain his voice, the manifestation of the physical sensation he was experiencing. Jason knew it well. The cold sweat of endurance, trying to climb past the physical pain but craving it, because the moments between blows seemed oddly empty. “You’re right, you’re not,” Mitchell said, adjusting the straps of the swing. “How many more, Jason?” “Three.” At the sound of Sean’s indrawn breath, Jason let another fall. “Two.” Sean’s feet shifted on the carpet, his bare toes digging in. “How are you doing, Sean?” Mitchell asked cooly, half-seated on the back of the couch. Jason let the fourth fall before Sean could answer. When he did, it was through clenched teeth. “I’m doing fine. Wondering when we move on to something a little hotter.” “That’s for me to decide,” Mitchell reminded him. “And, to a lesser extent, Jason.” “And I think you’re just a tad impatient,” Jason admonished before delivering the final blow.

“I’ve been hard since about fifteen minutes after you left my place the other day,” Sean protested. “Of course I’m impatient.” Mitchell laughed. “I hope you don’t have a plane to catch. We didn’t invite you over here for a quickie.” Jason tossed the flogger aside, though he kind of wished Mitchell would have used it on him. He briefly entertained the notion of doing something willful, to force Mitchell’s hand, but that wasn’t the point of tonight. Tonight wasn’t about his submission, but Sean’s. “You took that well,” Mitchell continued. He stripped off his briefs, revealing his long, thick cock. Jason wished he could have seen Sean’s face when he got a look at it. Sean was wellendowed, and knew it, judging from the way he’d proudly revealed himself to Jason, and Jason had been suitably impressed. But Mitchell was in an entirely different league. Major league, like a fucking baseball bat, if Jason allowed himself some exaggeration. “Holy shit,” Sean whispered. Mitchell stepped close to Sean, and Jason took a breath. This was a part of the plan he and Mitchell had discussed privately, well in advance of making the offer. They’d seriously discussed the possibility that one or both of them would become jealous seeing their lover with another man. Jason had been completely honest; he wasn’t entirely sure how he would react. Seeing Mitchell reach out and grip Sean’s cock, Jason couldn’t say that he didn’t feel a little jealous, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t crazy turned on, either. Mitchell slowly stroked Sean, just twice, and Sean whimpered. “Do you like my cock?” Mitchell asked, taking Sean’s hand in his and guiding it to his penis. “Oh…yes,” Sean whispered. Mitchell locked eyes with Jason over Sean’s shoulder, holding his gaze as Sean stroked him. “I believe in a system of punishment and reward. You took your punishment without complaint. So now you get a reward. Jason, what should it be?” “Whose reward is this supposed to be again?” Jason joked. “Sean, do you want to suck Mitchell’s cock?” The question was a formality. Sean’s mouth would be watering for it at this point. He nodded, swallowing as he tried and failed to find his voice.

“Get on your knees,” Jason ordered, pushing Sean’s shoulders down. He pressed his cock to Sean’s back, breathing hard from the incredible, but far too brief, friction. His eyes closed, and he threaded his fingers through Sean’s dark curls. After a moment to compose himself, he continued, “Take it in your hand.” Sean reached up and encircled Mitchell’s cock, pumping up and down slowly. “May I touch myself, Mitchell?” Jason asked, aching to hear a yes from his lover. He’d manipulated the game somewhat, asking him when some sexy young guy was jacking him off. Mitchell groaned a yes and let his head fall back, eyes fluttering closed. His gaze locked on Sean’s hand working Mitchell’s cock, Jason stroked himself in the same rhythm. It wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge, but there was a sense of power in flirting with disaster. He wetted his lips. “Can I suck it?” Sean almost whispered, leaning close to the wide tip of Mitchell’s dick. He opened his mouth, tongue snaking out around his lips, the underside skimming Mitchell’s cock head with an “unintentional” brush. Jason cleared his head. There was a lot of power involved in a blow job. If Sean thought he could trick them into believing he’d submitted, while privately feeling as though he had the upper hand, it defeated the purpose of the exercise. “Yes. But Mitchell will tell you exactly what to do. If you don’t follow his instructions, you’ll be punished again, and you might not get fucked.” Sean’s spine stiffened. So, there was an element of the helpless there. Jason decided to exploit it. He went to the basket and retrieved a bottle of lube. He held it up, so Sean could not see it, and Mitchell silently nodded. He looked down at Sean and took his own cock in his hand. “Open your mouth.” Obediently, Sean’s jaw dropped, and Mitchell guided himself in. “Touch yourself,” Mitchell told Jason. “But don’t come. Sean is going to make both of us come tonight, aren’t you, Sean?”

Chapter Seven

It was damned hard remaining in his dominant space while Sean’s tongue circled his cock. But he had to regain control. He put his hand on Sean’s head and halted him. “I didn’t say you were going to make me come now.” Sean’s tongue stilled. “That’s better. Just let me fuck your mouth,” Mitchell instructed. He was careful, not wanting to choke Sean or make it unpleasant for him. That wasn’t the point. The point was to give Sean so much pleasure, he would do anything for a little bit more. To drag out the arousal, to heighten every sense, to awaken every nerve and strain it to the breaking point so that Sean would learn to control his rebellious impulses to earn his release. While Mitchell slid his cock past Sean’s lips, he nodded to Jason, who had squeezed lube onto his fingers. Mitchell watched over Sean’s shoulder as Jason brought his hand slowly to Sean’s ass. His gaze flicking to Sean’s face, Mitchell savored the look of surprise there as Jason brushed his knuckles over the tight hole. Slowly, Jason eased his fingers in, working to open Sean while Mitchell enjoyed the moans that vibrated around his cock. The problem with enjoying it was trying to keep himself from coming. Making a submissive wait heightened his experience, but it meant denying himself, as well. It had been just as hard when he’d first started these games with Jason. So many times he’d wanted to just fuck, hard and fast, and now was no different. There was no point in delaying it any longer. He pulled out of Sean’s mouth and nodded toward the swing. “Jason, help him out.” Jason wiped the lube from his hand on a small hand towel from the basket, then ordered, “Get up.”

Sean rose, legs visibly trembling. His cock stood straight up, and Mitchell knew that if he touched it, it would be as hard as a rock. Jason uncuffed Sean’s hands and helped him slide into position in the straps of the swing. When he was settled into the two long, padded loops, Jason slipped the ankle straps around Sean’s ankles and tightened the straps, hiking Sean’s legs into the air. Sean leaned back, gripping the loop that supported his back. “Lie back, it’ll hold,” Jason told him. He leaned back, and Jason positioned himself at Sean’s head, stroking himself as he gave Sean an up-close-and-personal view. Mitchell went to the basket and retrieved a condom, then sheathed himself with it and stood at Jason’s feet, gripping his already lifted ankles and pushing them higher. “Are you ready?” “Oh fuck,” Sean groaned, his head dropping back. It was enough of an answer for Mitchell. He stepped forward and pulled Sean toward him, the swing rocking gently. Sean’s ass was already well-lubed from Jason’s careful attention, so Mitchell applied some to the condom and pressed forward, against the firm resistance of Sean’s ass. At his head, Jason brought his cock to Sean’s mouth, and Sean moaned, body tensing in the swing as Mitchell worked his wide tip inside. “Relax,” Mitchell urged him, pushing deeper. Sean bucked, sinking more of Mitchell inside, quickly. Sean made a strangled noise around Jason’s cock, and reached down with one hand to grasp his own, measuring the length of it in soothing strokes. Mitchell wanted to go deeper, to bury his whole cock in the hot, tight grip of Sean’s ass, but going slow was a bit of discipline for himself. He shivered, squeezed almost too tight by the hard, muscled ring, and took his time filling Sean, watching as Jason braced himself by gripping the straps of the swing as Sean sucked him. Jason’s eyes were closed. He breathed hard, clearly trying to maintain his control, as well. In him to the very base, Mitchell reached down and knocked Sean’s hand aside, pumping him with hard, fast strokes. He slid his cock out just a fraction, then back, and again, increasing the length of his thrust each time. Soon, Sean rocked in the swing, helpless to control the movement as he sucked and licked at Jason’s cock and Mitchell pounding in and out of his ass. Jason came first, pulling out of Sean’s mouth to finish himself off in two frenzied strokes. He stepped away to clean up, looking almost afraid to miss something. Mitchell ground against

Sean,, savoring the ripples all around him as Sean’s body tried to decide whether to force him out or pull him deeper. Beneath Mitchell’s hand, Sean’s cock twitched slightly, and Mitchell knew that Sean had come to the very brink of orgasm. Jason returned and gripped Sean’s arms, preventing him from finishing the job himself when Mitchell ceased to touch him. “Do you want to come?” Mitchell asked, a drop of sweat sliding down the back of his neck. He wanted to come, he knew that for sure. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but wouldn’t let himself stop. He kept up the pace, listening to Sean’s frustrated moans and gasps. Around those distressed cries, somewhere, Sean managed to get out, “Yes! Please!” “Please what?” Those were the words they both needed, Mitchell to hear them and Sean to say them. And no matter how incredible it felt to be fucking Sean, fucking him so hard their bodies made a smacking sound as they collided, Mitchell could hold out until Sean begged him. Luckily, he didn’t need to control himself for long. Between loud, wordless exclamations that corresponded with each deep, hard thrust of Mitchell’s cock, Sean howled, “Please make me come!” Jason released his arms and reached over him, taking hold of Sean’s cock. Mitchell hadn’t noticed the condom Jason had retrieved, and his eyes widened as Jason rolled it down Sean’s shaft. Jason dropped to one knee beside the swing and leaned over, taking Sean’s sheathed member into his mouth, head bobbing while Sean curled up, practically out of the straps, shouting and bucking. Watching his lover suck another man was too much. Mitchell knew what Sean felt as he came with Jason’s tongue swirling around him, Jason’s lips sliding over him. “Oh fuck,” Mitchell swore, slamming into Sean furiously, his orgasm ripping through him like a bolt of lightning. He drove deep, shooting jet after jet into the condom, cock spasming. Perspiration dripping from his hair, he slumped against the straps, gasping for breath. Sean still moaned, legs trembling in the straps.. It was Jason who spoke first. “So…twenty minute break, and then we do it again?”

Chapter E ight

Hours later, when they were exhausted, Sean excused himself to get some air before he started the drive home. The door in the rec room opened onto a huge white-washed deck that leaned over the steep embankment. The backyard was non-existent, Mitchell had explained, in order to keep their house as far from the road as possible. Through the trees, Sean could see the flicker of dark water, the lake he lived across. Above the silvery-black of the leaves, the sky was light gray. They’d spent the entire night alternately talking and fucking, playing the game all the while. Mitchell was a natural dominant, but he wasn’t pushy. He hadn’t directed the conversation, hadn’t been overbearing. And Jason, he’d seemed perfectly at ease changing gears when Mitchell would steer them back into sex. It had taken some time to get used to the rhythm of the evening, but he’d finally realized that it was designed to keep him off his balance. If he wasn’t sure of himself, he would follow Mitchell’s lead. It had worked. He fished his cigarettes from his back pocket and lit one up, looking back at the door. In their casual moments, they’d discussed the smoking ban in public facilities in Michigan, and how long it took some residents of Gwinn Close to get used to it. It had been apparent that Mitchell didn’t approve of cigarettes. So what, now you’ re going to quit to impress some guy? How is this not a giant brainwashing session? Sean didn’t look up guiltily when Jason stepped out of the house and onto the deck. He did, however, flick his half-finished cigarette down the hill, in the hopes that he wouldn’t notice.

“Hey, only you can prevent forest fires, buddy,” Jason said with a laugh, ducking the drips from the overflowing rain gutters. “If I managed to burn the woods down in this weather, I deserve credit.” Sean nodded toward the house. “Where’s Mitchell?” Jason came to lean against the rail, shaking water from his hair, as though it would make some difference in the steadily falling rain. “Shower. Though I don’t know why he didn’t save the water and just run around out here.” “He’s kind of…fastidious, huh?” Sean rubbed a hand over his hair, scrunching his dark, wet curls. If Mitchell thought he was going to make Sean into a clone or something, it wouldn’t work. Maybe it had worked with Jason… That thought struck him as pretty dickish in immediate retrospect. Jason wasn’t a clone, or controlled by Mitchell. Their relationship seemed easy and relaxed, and most important, full of love borne of mutual respect. So, why did he feel so… “You’re all wound up and rebellious now, aren’t you?” Jason’s voice held a hint of amusement. “I was like that. In the moment, submission felt amazing. Afterward, I felt like I’d kicked my own ass or something.” Sean shrugged it off. “I’m just not the kind of guy who takes orders. I know it was all a game, but I feel like I lost or something.” “Did it feel like you lost when you were getting fucked?” The bluntness of his own words made Jason laugh a little. “I don’t mean to be crude, but come on. Did you have a good time?” “I did,” Sean admitted reluctantly. “Then why worry? Why worry about if Mitchell had dominance over you? Why concentrate on how it feels to be dominated, when you could concentrate on how amazing it feels to just submit? To just let go of everything and let someone else drive you around for a while?” It had been amazing, but all his life Sean had worried about not being controlled by another person. Definitely not another shifter. If he’d ever met another tiger, he probably wouldn’t have wanted to be perceived as submissive then, either. He knew they were feline shifters, but Sean felt more like an alpha dog. He didn’t want anyone else telling him how to live his life. His sexuality was a huge part of his identity, and to have someone else in charge of it seemed dangerously like consenting to being kidnapped.

“The way I look at it,” Jason continued, “is like, at the end of a business trip, when I get home, the last thing I want to do is cook a meal for myself. If someone else is willing to do it for me, I’m perfectly happy to let them. But if I have to stand there and tell them exactly what to make, what ingredients to use, when to flip the burgers…even if they do everything I tell them to do, I’m still doing a lot of work. Think about it, do you like being with partners who need you to tell them what to do to get you off?” Sean shook his head. “To a point, yeah. I don’t mind someone asking if I like something, but I don’t want to have to tell them when to touch me and where. I’d rather they just try stuff. Learn what I like, you know?” “Exactly. Mitchell is the exact opposite. He enjoys that control. But he enjoys it because it brings me pleasure. It got him off tonight to tell you what to do and how to do it, because he could see, just like I did, that it got you hornier than you’ve ever been in your life.” Jason shrugged. “I don’t mean to be crude about it. It’s just that, sometimes, you have to learn to let yourself let go. And once you can do that sexually, you’ll be able to do that in other areas of your life. You’ll learn to control yourself, and you’ll respect yourself for being able to accept that control as a necessary part of your life.” “You should have Dr. Phil’s job, you know?” Sean laughed it off, but he saw some sense in Jason’s words. “I just think you should give it time, maybe another chance. Or a few more.” That sexy grin was back on Jason’s face, somehow innocently mischievous despite their frank conversation. “I may have some personal bias that slants this advice.” The door opened and Mitchell waved them inside. “It’s pouring out.” “We were enjoying it,” Jason said, winking and shrugging a shoulder. “I should probably get going,” Sean said as he ducked under the eaves. “Thanks for a great time, guys.” “Thank you,” Mitchell said, pulling Sean in for a hug. He slapped him on the back and released him, so that Jason could hug him as well. That threw him for a loop, and a lingering feeling of weirdness clung to him long after they’d said their good-byes and he’d started the drive home. The rain had dried as suddenly as it had started, and the sun was up by the time he pulled onto his road. Though he was exhausted, he knew he wouldn’t get to sleep right away. He’d never had a casual fuck that had ended with hugs

and a genuine feeling of friendship. Usually, it was a one-off that would never happen again. But they had made it seem like they would want to do it again. He would, too. It was difficult enough not to turn the car around and go back. The only thing that called him away was his tiger, straining to get out. After all that submission, he had to run, had to get it out of his system. He was almost home when he pulled the truck over and hopped out, stripping off his clothes violently as he broke into a run at the tree line. He didn’t care who saw. He didn’t care if someone who was a non-shifter saw him running in tiger form and took a shot at him. He needed this wildness after behaving himself for so long. He picked up a scent on the wind. Something…no. He couldn’t cause trouble, not when he’d given Mitchell and Jason his word. They’d warned him one last time. They could kick him out of the only community he’d ever felt truly comfortable in, if not actually a part of. He probably wouldn’t get another chance. But it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. You don’ t need to ask permission in the first place. Who are these guys to tell you how to live your life? Who are you, if you’ re going to listen to them? He took off into the woods.

Chapter Nine

“Damnit!” Jason looked up from his laptop and watched as Mitchell paced back and forth behind the couch. The muscles of his bare back rippled, and he growled, sounding dangerously like the big cat he shifted into. Jason gently reminded him, “Not in the house, please.” Mitchell rounded the end of the sofa and dropped onto the cushions, adjusting the knees of his linen lounge pants. “He did it again.” Jason’s stomach dropped. “Already?” “I trusted him,” Mitchell said, pinching the bridge of his nose. When it came to Gwinn Close, he took failures personally, even ones he had no control over. “The sex thing isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, you know,” Jason said, trying to keep the mood light. He was already disappointed enough in Sean’s behavior; he didn’t want to become bogged down in Mitchell’s misplaced guilt. “He made his choice, Mitchell. Now, I guess we just deal with it.” Mitchell’s mouth tightened. “You know I can’t kick him out. I could never…we’re one of the only places a shifter can be himself.” “But being himself isn’t working out for everyone else.” Jason laid his book aside. “I’m going to go over there and have a talk with him.” “Before we even know what we’re going to do?” Mitchell looked incredulous. “We just saw him a few hours ago, I don’t know—” “Mitch, you know I’m good with people. Let me just make sure he’s really being an asshole about it. Because if he’s not, if it’s just a control problem, we can’t kick him out. If he’s just trying to take advantage of our good natures, then I’ll be able to tell.” Jason stood, regretting that he would have to change out of his sleep pants. He’d decided to take the day off to lie

around reading and watching TV, to rest up after their big night. Emotional confrontation didn’t seem like a fair trade. After a quick shower, he put on his most comfortable pair of jeans, a soft, faded pair with ripped out knees, and a t-shirt. He was not, he firmly reminded himself, trying to look younger than his forty years. He just wanted to be comfortable and he didn’t like wearing his PJs out of the house. He believed himself a lot less when he pulled onto the dirt two-track leading to the fishing cabins, and his stomach lurched, full of the dreaded butterflies. He hadn’t felt so uncool and uncertain since high school, a time he definitely did not want to revisit. So why did it feel amazing now? The hope that a guy would like him used to be agony, but now Jason savored it. Maybe that was a benefit of being in a successful long-term relationship; the extra-curricular flirting, while harmless, was sexier when it didn’t mean anything. That harmless feeling twisted into something more uncomfortable when Sean opened the door. In the same moment that Jason realized Sean was irritated by the unexpected visit, Jason also realized that it hadn’t been simple flirting and meaningless sex. He wanted it to mean something. He wanted Sean the same way he wanted Mitchell. He wanted them both. “We got another complaint.” He struggled to keep his voice steady. “Yeah, I supposed you did.” Sean shrugged, his expression hard. Beneath that shell was a void of sadness, fear, and uncertainty. He knew what he’d done, and he regretted it. There was no way he could admit to that regret, because then… Then Mitchell would be winning. This was going to take more finesse than Jason was usually capable of employing. Mitchell was the one who always knew what to say. “Can I come in?” “Sure.” Sean stepped back to let Jason through the door, but as he passed, he asked, “Just need to measure for new drapes, for the next tenant?” “Don’t do that,” Jason warned. “I don’t have a lot of patience for self pity. Look, we don’t care if you did this because you really couldn’t help yourself. We understand that. We can help you.” Sean scoffed. “With more dominance games? We’re not wolves. We shouldn’t try to be like them just because it’s inconvenient. I don’t want an alpha dog telling me what to do, and that’s all Mitchell is to us.”

“That’s not what Mitchell is to me.” Jason’s voice raised, and he fought to keep his control. “He’s my partner, in the truest sense of the word. He understands my feelings and emotions, and he understands my need for control. He gives me what I need because he cares about me. Now, if the sex thing doesn’t work for you the way it does for me, we’ll figure something else out. But Mitchell wasn’t using this as an opportunity to get laid, and neither should you. Is that what it was? Just a game, and you’d lie about wanting to change your behavior so you’d get to fuck us?” “Technically, you guys fucked me,” Sean reminded him quietly. Before Jason could retort, the absurdity of the statement forced a shocked laugh from his throat. Sean laughed, too, and the tension melted away between them. “There it was,” Jason said, still smiling. “That shield that was there is gone.” Sean’s smile faded, just a touch. “It’s lowered, not gone. I don’t trust people blindly.” “I never said you should.” Jason rubbed his jaw as he thought. “When you were with us, did you enjoy yourself?” “I did. I enjoy sex. I’m a guy, it’s what we do.” “So, it was just the sex? None of the other stuff was enjoyable, just the fucking. You can’t stand us?” Jason had him cornered, and he suspected Sean didn’t like being cornered. He backed off. “We don’t want to see you leave. We like you. Even if nothing comes of it, we like you, and we want you to be able to stay. We don’t ever like to leave another shifter in need.” “I just don’t know if I can handle it.” Sean walked away, to sit on the edge of the bed. “I like who I am. I like to be a predator. I like to get out there and get my heart pumping. I don’t want to lose that.” “We wouldn’t want you to lose it, either.” There was only one way Jason would be able to prove it to him. “Look, let’s go outside a minute. I have something I want to show you.” They went out into the blinding bright Michigan morning, and Jason stripped off his shirt and unbuckled his pants. “I’ve seen you naked,” Sean pointed out. “Shut up.” Jason kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jeans, tossing them to the side and shifting into tiger form before they even hit the ground. Talking wasn’t going to convince him. It would take more drastic measures. Jason growled, letting the sound rumble through his deep chest as he prowled slowly closer to Sean. He

looked up with his feline vision, sharper and more detailed than when he was in human form. He saw the tension in every muscle in Sean’s body, smelled the desire for wildness in the perspiration that hadn’t yet risen to the surface of his skin. Jason let loose with a feline scream, like audible lightning, and Sean stepped back. “Okay, I get the point.” He held up his hands and kept retreating as Jason advanced. Jason hadn’t planned to give a demonstration of why it was so damned scary to be stalked by a big cat. That was just a side benefit. He sank back on his hind legs, getting low to the ground to pounce. Sean recognized the behavior for what it was. Moving slowly, he unzipped his jeans and took a step back as he pushed them down his hips. By the time Jason sprang up, Sean had turned and run, shifting as he bounded over the hood of his own truck. Jason unsheathed his claws to gain purchase on the gravel, and sped after him. Tiger bodies were designed for short bursts of speed. They would both be exhausted in a matter of seconds. They were fast, though, and made it to the tree line, Sean leading in a wide turn toward the lake. Jason caught him, jumping onto his back and rolling with him, right out of the tree line and onto the sandy shore and tangled tall grass of the lake’s edge. Jason didn’t relent, even as they rolled into the shallows, crushing the reeds beneath them. Sean swiped at his face, claws retracted. It was a warning, that he didn’t like being pinned, didn’t like being taken down. Immediately, Jason backed down, and Sean sprang up, knocking Jason to his back. Sean was over him in an instant, jaws nipping at Jason’s throat. He backed up, front paws still braced on either side of Jason’s body, testing to see if he would rise again. The instinct was too great. Jason flipped and dove for the shore, but Sean was on him again, covering his back with his weight, their dripping fur mingling. Beneath Sean’s heaving belly, his barbed penis had emerged from its sheath, and it prodded Jason’s hip. Without warning, Jason shifted, bracing himself on his hands and knees in the water beneath Sean’s huge body. Jason didn’t run, he didn’t move. He let Sean have the upper hand, let him be the most powerful. Sean shifted, too, falling against Jason’s back and pushing him over, flat against the wet sand. He kissed him, grinding his hard cock against Jason’s hip. It didn’t feel wrong to kiss him back. The thought had occurred to Jason on the ride over, that something might happen between the two of them. He’d felt a little guilty even thinking about it, like he was cheating on Mitchell just by wondering how he would react. But this was far

from a sleazy sex thing. They were male tigers, all three of them, and it bound them, whether Sean recognized it yet or not. Jason gripped Sean’s ass and pulled him tighter against him, letting the gentle waves sneak under their bodies as they lay locked together on the beach. Sean grunted and thrust against him, as if he hadn’t just spent the whole night fucking and coming, as if he’d been dead and just woken up. When Sean broke away for air, Jason leaned up and bit him lightly on the neck, then whispered, “You don’t have to give it up.” Sean rolled to his back on the sand, his forearm across his eyes. Jason leaned up on an elbow. “Tigers need each other. I don’t know why, we just do. Mitchell will tell you, he was a mess before we met. I was a mess for a long time after we met. We can help keep each other in check.” “It seems like I’m getting ripped off,” Sean said, still breathing heavy from the run. “You guys are great. Incredible. The way you are together, I would love to have something like that some day. But I want it because I want it. Not because someone says I need them, or I feel drawn to them because they’re a shifter. I want to make the choice.” Jason rolled up and sprang to his feet. “The choice is always yours. You know where we are.” He went back to the cabin and collected his clothes. When he got in the truck, Sean was still sitting at the water’s edge, staring out at the lake. He was glad that he’d come alone. Mitchell would have just been frustrated by the situation. He liked to solve problems and make everyone happy. Until Sean figured out that he didn’t truly want to be alone, that it wasn’t necessary to maintain his solitude and rebellion in order to remain an individual, he wouldn’t want to be with them. But Jason knew, from experience, that all they had to do was wait.

Chapter T en

Sean sat there for a long time after Jason left. When the water chilled his skin, he shifted. Damp fur was warmer than damp skin. It was easier to think when he was a tiger. Though every part of his body still ached from the night before, and though he ached in a wholly different way from the incredibly arousing wrestling match Jason had engaged him in, as an animal he was able to ignore it. Maybe it felt more natural to be a tiger. He’d long wondered if he was a tiger who shifted into a human, rather than a human who changed into a big cat. He thumped his tail lazily against the sand. Being alone had never been a problem for him. In fact, he preferred it. He thought he did. Alone, he didn’t have worry about another guy’s feelings. He didn’t have to wonder if he was missing out on something in the world, if he was being held back by his partner. Which was why he’d never had one. He pushed up and paced the shallows, the sand cool and mucky between the pads of his massive paws. Never a long-term partner, never a boyfriend, never even a guy he fucked regularly in a casual way. One-night stands, hell, even internet porn was a reasonable substitute for being saddled with a guy. He’d thought he didn’t want it. Now, he wasn’t so sure. Gwinn Close was more of a home than he’d ever known. He’d definitely stayed there longer than he’d ever stayed in one place. Maybe that was the root of his need to break the rules. If he sabotaged this place, he wouldn’t get comfortable. He’d have to pack up and move on, and be truly alone again. A blue gill darted past him in the shallow water, and he lunged at it, snapping it up easily. Fishing, like thinking, like so many things, was so much easier as a tiger. The world he wanted to occupy would only have him as a man. Tigers were rarely welcome in bars, no matter how much of a dive they were, and it wasn’t like he was going to be

able to keep up on how the Yankees were playing if he was off in a jungle. Hell, two hours without internet and he got itchy. Moving the UP had been bad enough. If it weren’t bad enough to be torn between those two worlds, he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Gwinn Close, but the idea of staying, getting into a stable, regular something and settling down made his throat want to swell up. But god, the sex. The sex had been… Phenomenal. That was the only way to describe what had happened between them. He’d felt like he would die from the pleasure, it had been so intense. He’d felt reckless and wild. And he’d felt safe. It was that feeling of safety that scared him most of all. It was the kind of feeling he could get used to, and the kind that would crush him if taken away. Whether in human or tiger form, that was one thing his two natures had in common. His crippling fear that one day, something would be important to him, and he wouldn’t be able to hold onto it. He’d already started over so many times, it just seemed easier to keep doing it, and far more natural than hope. He shifted and washed the mucky sand from between his fingers, splashed himself with water to rid himself of the sand elsewhere, then walked along the beach until he reached his lawn. Though shifters were usually casual about nudity, he didn’t like the idea of shocking some poor old guy or gal looking out their kitchen windows first thing after an afternoon nap. They’d probably blame him for the heart attack. He collected his clothes and went inside. He looked from the bare counters and the equally empty pantries above them, to the furniture that had been there when he’d moved in. He’d brought only his clothes and his bedding. He’d gotten moving down to a science, what he could carry in the big toolbox in the back of his truck. The starkness of his life hit him all at once. He didn’t even own the dishes in the cupboards, or the cleaning supplies beneath the sink. He’d simplified himself right into what was pretty much homelessness, aside from the fact that he had shelter. He didn’t have a home. He didn’t have a career. He travelled around and did odd jobs. That was no kind of life. It was an existence. Maybe one day, you’ ll figure out that it’ s better to survive than try to live. He’d seen where that would get him. He’d seen his brother get married to a beautiful wife who fucked

around on him and left him for his best friend. He’d seen his mom marry guy after guy, until the last one in the line put her in a nursing home the second it became clear that her cancer wasn’t going to take care of itself. There was no reason at all to lock himself down in Gwinn Close. At this point, everyone would just know him as the weird tiger guy who chases people, and he’d be ostracized. Better to move on before anyone found out they didn’t like you, and let you know about it. When he’d moved in, he’d signed a lease. Mitchell was one of those do-the-right-thing, stand-up kind of guys. He would probably take him to small claims or something for breaking it. It was probably kind of sick that thinking of that got him hot for Mitchell all over again. There was some horrible, sensible, normal person thing inside of him that suggested caution. To wait until his lease was up, and see how he felt then. There was another part of him that wondered if he could justify just packing up in the night and running. He’d done it before, he could do it again. But even he thought it was a shitty thing to do to two guys who’d been nothing but nice. It would take less than a half hour to pack up his stuff, shut off the utilities and leave. If he stayed, if he put down roots, it would be a lot harder to transplant himself somewhere else. With a frustrated exhale, he pulled on his jeans and grabbed his cigarettes. He didn’t need to decide right now. But he did need to decide.

Chapter E leven

A week went by, and the phone never rang once. Mitchell saw this as both positive and negative. No one was calling to complain about Sean chasing anyone down, and that was great. But it also meant he wasn’t calling. “Staring at it won’t make it ring,” Jason advised one morning as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Mitchell turned away from the phone with an exasperated exhale. “You’re not concerned at all? You don’t even want to call and check to make sure he hasn’t packed up and moved out?” “You know he didn’t. If he had, he would have dropped off the keys.” Damn him. He was right. Mitchell went to the refrigerator and scowled into it. He straightened, closed the door, and shuffled to the island, where he sat down with a heavy sigh. “Not cute,” Jason warned as he stirred sugar into his coffee. “You can’t call him.” “I called you,” Mitchell reminded him. He’d called him, dropped by his work, generally made a nuisance of himself. But Jason was right. Sean wouldn’t find Mitchell’s persistence amusing, he’d find it threatening. Before Jason could argue, he held up his hands. “I know, I know.” “He’ll come around. Or he won’t. But as long as he’s behaving himself, does it matter?” Did it matter? Mitchell didn’t want it to. He wanted to go back to being perfectly happy with their life. “It shouldn’t.” “But it does.” Jason leaned on the counter, sliding a mug of black coffee to Mitchell. “You like him.” Mitchell put his hand out to take Jason’s. “I like him. But I love you.”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know how well it would work, to be honest. But I’m not averse to trying. It seems that Sean isn’t interested, so…maybe channel your unrequited like into something constructive. Like cleaning out the gutters.” If there was one thing Jason was good at, it was perspective. Mitchell sipped his coffee, trying to wiggle out of that perspective with some very careful justification. “Fine. You want to come with?” “To the roof?” Jason raised his glass in a mock toast. “It’s all yours.” “If I’m going to clean the gutters, I need to pick up a new pair of gloves. I tore a hole in my good pair. Building the koi pond for some pain in the ass tiger.” Mitchell raised his glass in a similar salute, before taking a drink. “And he hasn’t even eaten the koi.” “I ate a few,” Jason said defensively. He looked longingly out the kitchen window, at the cool water flowing down the ornamental waterfall. “We need to build ourselves a habitat like the one Sigfreid and Roy’s tigers have in Vegas.” “They’re not shifters,” Mitchell reminded him, then paused. “Not all of them. But if you want me to pick up some mosaic tiles, I’m going to have drive all the way to Marquette.” Jason scooped the keys off the counter by the door and tossed them to Mitchell. “Don’t drive to Marquette. And behave.” He has to know, Mitchell reasoned as he backed the car around and pulled down the driveway. There was no way Jason would believe that he planned on just visiting the hardware store. He did, because he did need gloves. But while he browsed the aisles, he thought of some of the other things that needed doing. Specifically, that when they’d gone over to Sean’s cabin, one of the outlets in the kitchen had a cracked face plate. He picked one up, along with the new gloves, and jumped into the car for the ride back from Munising to Gwinn Close. He could stop along the way and fix the outlet. Though he had agreed with Jason that Sean wouldn’t have left without giving them notice, Mitchell was still relieved to see Sean’s truck parked in the driveway. The cabin’s inside door was open, to let the breeze in, and Mitchell rapped lightly on the aluminum frame. He didn’t want to be a peeping tom, but he did glance through the screen to look for movement. Sean sat up on the bed, startled awake.

“It’s just me,” Mitchell called to him. He’d learned that when he had first moved to the UP. If you caught someone by surprise, you’d better identify yourself quick. “I came to fix your outlet.” Sean stumbled through the living area. Sleep clouded his eyes and he looked as though he struggled to focus. His expression changed from a disturbed sleeper to that of a pissed-off disturbed sleeper. “I didn’t call you about a broken outlet.” “I noticed it last week when we were here. It’s in the kitchen.” Mitchell held up the hardware store bag like it was a badge. Great job, you’ re really proving that you didn’ t come here to see him. “You’re here because I haven’t called you in a week. That’s some weird, girl shit. I don’t want to be in a relationship with a girl, or else I wouldn’t be gay.” He moved to close the inner door. “Wait.” Mitchell’s embarrassment had just about reached its zenith. It was time to just let it all out on the line. “Jason told me that when he came to see you, you had some…concerns. I’ve been thinking about you. We both have. Look, I don’t want to do this through the door.” Sean stepped back and gestured with an outstretched arm. Mitchell hesitated a second before he opened the door and stepped through. There was no better way to broach the subject. “I’m not trying to brainwash you or control you. That isn’t what this is about.” “Then what is it about?” Sean scratched the back of his head. “I see what you and Jason have. And it’s great. I would love to have that. But I’m not like you two.” “You’re exactly like us.” Sometimes, his direct approach got him into trouble. Mitchell prayed it wouldn’t be the case this time. With a dismayed smile and a groan, Sean shook his head. “Don’t make this into more than it is. It was fun. I’d even consider doing it again sometime. But don’t make it into something it’s not.” “Like what? Like we really like you and would love to spend more time with you? Or like some weird cult thing where I force you to change your life completely and want things you don’t really want? Because I don’t have those kinds of powers, Sean. I’m only a shifter. Jason is only a shifter. We weren’t looking to add a third to our relationship. But we met you. And we really like you. And we’d like to at least try to make a go at…something.” That was too much. Mitchell could tell by the hard look that crept into Sean’s eyes.

Any trace of civility was gone, and Mitchell saw more of Sean’s tiger than he had even when Jason was in animal form. He didn’t move, but his anger filled up the room. “I said I would have sex with you guys. Not change my entire life and become a part of your relationship. It’s not fair to change things now.” “You don’t seem like the kind of person who tolerates change very well.” Mitchell wasn’t put off by the younger man’s anger. “So I wonder…why do you seek it out?” “I don’t,” Sean snapped. “I’m not afraid of change, I’m afraid of permanence. I don’t want to be stuck. I don’t want people to start caring about me, because then I have to stick around.” “No you don’t. You’re the master of your destiny. Even if you ran out tomorrow and married some woman and had six kids, you could still leave her. No one would be able to stop you, if that’s what you wanted to do,” Mitchell explained calmly. “You’re not worried about being stuck. You’re worried about caring for anybody, because you know they could make that same decision to leave. You’re afraid you’re not going to be the one to do it first.” Sean stared at him, looking as though he were torn between calling Mitchell a liar or just punching him out. Mitchell didn’t back down. “If you’re pissed right now, it’s because you’re angry that it’s true. Most people don’t like to hear the truth.” Tears rose in Sean’s eyes, tears that he hastily blinked away. In seconds, he’d composed himself. A sign that he did it often. “You don’t have to be ashamed,” Mitchell said gently. “And if things don’t work out here, and you want to leave, I’m not going to tell you to stay. But at least give yourself a chance. If not a chance to try and be with us, then at least a chance to fit in here.” “I think I messed too much stuff up around here already,” Sean confessed. He laughed and shook his head. “I’m a mess.” “So was I, once. So was Jason. I don’t know what got you so spooked. I thought we were all getting along.” “Yeah, we got along, all right.” A grin crept over his face. “Hey, will you do something for me?”

Mitchell raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was he asked, he knew he’d almost have to do it. That lopsided smile and those big brown eyes were enough to blow apart his resolve. “I guess you’ve been good lately. We haven’t heard any complaints. What do you want?” Sean sucked his lower lip into his mouth to wet it. “Let me chase you.”

Chapter T welve

For a moment, Mitchell hesitated, and Sean stood waiting, feeling kind of stupid. But wasn’t this what Jason had been trying to tell him? To just let go, let his nature out, but in a safe way? He wouldn’t be able to hurt Mitchell, or even frighten him. It didn’t seem like Mitchell was afraid of anything. Mitchell stripped his t-shirt off slowly. “You won’t be able to keep up.” “I’ll take my chances.” Sean stepped outside, shucking his briefs. He didn’t wait for Mitchell to change before he shifted. Mitchell took off at a jog, turning backwards to call, “I never said I was going to change.” Sean hesitated. Was it a test? See if he could resist chasing after an innocent human being and blowing everybody’s cover? Or was it something else? “Are you going to chase me or what?” Mitchell shouted, stopping in his tracks. Why the hell not? Sean took off after him. If it was a test, fine, he would fail it. It would be worth it to knock Mitchell down, to surprise him. To dominate him. Sean was on him before he could even reach the tree line. He knocked him to the grass with one paw, then stood over him, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Wheezing a little, Mitchell panted, “See? I’m totally out of shape for running. Asthma, allergies. Never been good at it. You only became submissive to me because you choose to.” Sean shifted, still kneeling over him. “That’s not what I’m afraid of.” “Then what are you afraid of?” Mitchell reached up and laid his hand against Sean’s cheek.

The tender touch seized something inside of Sean, and he lowered his mouth to Mitchell’s soft lips. “I’m afraid of wanting this.” For someone who claimed to be out of shape, Mitchell managed to flip Sean effortlessly, sliding their mouths together. A blur of black stripes and orange fur knocked Mitchell aside. A moment after the collision, Jason shifted, with Mitchell pinned beneath him. “I knew it! You came over here, because you can’t leave well-enough alone.” “Guilty,” Sean confessed. “But I didn’t ruin anything, did I, Mitchell?” “Except for that pair of jeans,” Jason observed as he stood and glared down at Mitchell’s torn knee. In the morning sun, Jason was gorgeous and naked, his cock fully erect. “See something you liked?” Sean asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, I saw two hot guys practically fucking right out on the lawn in front of God and everybody.” Mitchell got to his feet. “So, you’re saying we should go inside, then?” Jason shifted back, and Sean took a chance and followed his lead. Immediately, Jason lunged for him. In a flash, three tigers jostled and snapped at each other all the way to the house. When they reached the door, they shifted, but the playful nips and shoves didn’t stop. They made it to the bed before Mitchell asked, “Do you have any condoms? Lube?” Damn. “I don’t,” Sean groaned. “We could head back to our place,” Jason suggested. “Unacceptable,” Sean stated firmly. He waited to see the shock on their faces before he continued. “I’m in a dangerous mindset right now. I’m ready to maul someone, and not necessarily sexually. I think I need to be disciplined.” “And how do you propose we do that?” Mitchell asked cautiously. “I think I need to suck Jason’s cock,” Sean responded, reaching down and grasping it. Jason took a long breath that Mitchell mirrored when he finished, “while you spank me.” Mitchell looked from Sean to Jason and back. “Fine. Get on the bed, both of you.” Jason lay down, arms and legs akimbo, his magnificent cock flat against his stomach. Sean knelt between his legs and leaned down, pressing kisses to Jason’s hip, his stomach, nibbling a path to his penis. Sean teased Jason, coming closer to Jason’s straining erection, so

close it would twitch at Sean’s exhalations. Then Sean would move elsewhere, to Jason’s ear or nipples, and repeated the downward path again. Jason twisted and grimaced, rocking his hips. “I think he’s ready for it, Sean.” Mitchell said finally, a note of amusement in his voice. “Jason, I think I might have a new favorite game.” “A new favorite torture,” Jason said, then seized Sean’s head by the ears. “You heard the man.” The teasing he’d put Jason through had affected Sean, as well, and greatly. His own cock throbbed as he slid his tongue around Jason’s shaft. He’d barely closed his lips around the head when the first, startling slap of Mitchell’s hand hit his ass. “Oh, fuck, that’s hot,” Jason laughed. There was an edge of desperation to his voice, and he bucked his hips, pushing more of his cock into Sean’s mouth. Even without the slow buildup, Sean ached for orgasm. He’d done nothing but fantasize about their first encounter since it had happened. The possibility of it happening again had figured into his decision to stay, somewhat. But more than the sex, Sean wanted the feeling of belonging to them. Though something inside would always rebel at the thought, he wanted these men to want him. Another sharp crack of flesh against flesh, and Sean whimpered. He ground himself against the sheets as Mitchell soothed the hot welt left by his own hand, smoothing his palm over it in light circles. Then, without warning, another slap, and Sean thought he might come right then. Jason thrust against Sean’s mouth, gagging him, and Sean gripped Jason’s hips, pulling him forward. He would take it all, anything Jason had to give him. He wanted to suck him off, fantasized about a time when he could bring him to orgasm with no barriers between them and swallow every drop. He channeled that desire into the pleasure he so desperately wanted to give Jason, and Mitchell; though he wasn’t touching him, Sean knew that watching another man suck Jason was incredibly arousing to Mitchell. The memory of how Mitchell had pounded into him on the swing, while Sean had devoured Jason, was proof enough of how erotic the sight was to Mitchell. Breathing hard, Mitchell leaned over Sean. His erect penis rubbed Sean’s raw, sensitive backside. “When I get you home, I’m going to fuck you until you scream.” “And you’re going to fuck me,” Jason groaned to Sean.

“But not until you get the punishment you asked for,” Mitchell said, stepping back to deliver another series of sharp spanks. Sean rocked into each blow, still sucking Jason as Mitchell’s hand left sharp, tender places all over his ass, but still, he wanted more. “It’s not enough,” Sean complained as another stinging slap rained down on his backside. “I told you, I don’t have anything with me,” Mitchell reminded him. “My belt. Over there. Please,” was all Sean managed to get out through his clenched teeth. He needed this, and badly. Mitchell made a low whistle. “Are you sure?” “Please,” Sean begged, fingers digging into Jason’s ass as he clung to him. Jason reached down and pushed his cock back into Sean’s mouth, and Sean almost choked as Jason pushed the length of it into his throat, slowly fucking him. Behind him, Sean heard Mitchell lifting up the jeans and disentangling the leather belt from its loops. There was a long, terrible silence, broken only by the sound of Mitchell testing the crack of the leather against itself. Then, the first blow landed. Sean squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating on the cock in his mouth. His tongue, trapped beneath Jason’s thick shaft, could do little more than writhe in a futile attempt to pleasure him, but Sean tried anyway. He flexed his throat, swallowing to take in all of Jason, right to the very base. The leather cracked again, laying a stinging stripe over Sean’s back. He grunted and thrust his hips against the bed. “You like that?” Jason asked through panting breaths. Sean tried to nod as best as he could, and Jason threaded his fingers through Sean’s hair, close to his scalp. He tugged in a gentle rhythm to match the pace of his cock gliding in and out of Sean’s lips. The belt cracked over Sean’s shoulders, then his ass, never landing the same place twice. In the moments between strikes, he dreaded the coming pain, but when he felt it, it was like... Coming home. Jason had been completely right. Sean couldn’t possibly fake his submission. He needed to want it. Needed to yearn for it, body and soul. He wanted these men, wanted them enough to forsake the wildness of his tiger nature.

He kept up his rhythm of sucking and flexing with his mouth and tongue, until Jason’s hips rose off the bed and he pulled himself free of Sean’s mouth. He stroked himself as he came, silver-white jets hitting his chest. The sight of Jason’s awesome climax, coupled with the fall of the belt across his back, was enough to send Sean over the edge. He ground his cock against the bed as he came. Mitchell tossed the belt aside and joined them on the bed. His fist pumped the length of his cock, and Jason sat up, not bothering to wipe off his chest before leaning over to cover the head with his mouth. Amazed by the speed and intensity Jason displayed, Sean could only watch as Mitchell gave over to the pleasure Jason brought him. When Mitchell came, he opened his mouth to utter a groan that caught in his throat. His body bowed, and the veins stood out against his neck before he fell back. The bed creaked as Jason lay across the foot of it. “You know, the bed at our house is way bigger.” “I have a lease here,” Sean said quickly. “I was just thinking we should head over there for the night,” Jason said with a laugh. “Let’s not go leaping into this.” Mitchell reached for the box of kleenex on the night stand. He tossed it to Jason. “There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, Sean. We’re not going to hold that against you.” “You’ve got your own thing, I don’t want to screw it up,” Sean said with an apologetic smile. “Mitchell and I are very happy. You’re not going to screw us up.” Jason nudged Mitchell’s foot with his own, and the casual touch was the first truly possessive thing Sean had ever seen either of them display. Stranger still, he didn’t feel slighted or threatened by it, because it hadn’t been meant that way. Even more bizarre, Sean realized that someday, he wouldn’t mind Jason or Mitchell being possessive of him. “Forgive my optimism,” Mitchell interrupted, sitting up. “But I think we might have broken our Mr. Sean Warren of his nasty habit of chasing after the locals.” Sean leaned over and brushed his lips against Mitchell’s. Mitchell accepted the invitation readily, pulling his head down and kissing him until he forcibly broke free. Sean laughed against his cheek as Jason wrestled Sean to the bed and took over where Mitchell had been thwarted.

“Yeah, okay, but you didn’t break me of my habit entirely,” Sean reminded them. “You just got me interested in chasing someone else.” Jason ground his already recovered cock against Sean’s thigh. “I think we’re the ones who chased you.” Closing his eyes, Sean braced his toes against the mattress as Mitchell kissed his way down Sean’s chest. They had chased him, all right. And he was so, so glad he’d let himself get caught.

E pilogue

Sean took a deep breath, peeled off his t-shirt and lay face down on the padded black vinyl. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Mitchell asked, catching the shirt Sean tossed his way. Sean wiggled a little to get comfortable. “Oh, yes. One hundred percent sure.” A soft click and an electronic beep caught both men’s attention. “Camera’s good to go,” Jason said. “Ready whenever you are.” Sean nodded. “Let’s go.” He’d deliberated for over a year. Everyone knew it was bad luck to get a tattoo of a lover’s name. Two names seemed twice as unlucky. Their relationship was undeniably strong, but Sean had never been a fan of tempting fate. He’d decided to add two more stripes to his back, between the existing ones, in red to signify Jason and Mitchell. The needle of the tattoo machine hummed and the artist pressed the point of it to Sean’s back. “That doesn’t look so bad,” Jason said. “I could probably handle that. What do you think?” Sean heard Mitchell’s soft chuckle. “I think you’re crazy if you think I’m getting on that table.” It wasn’t like Sean had plans to go anywhere. He’d tried to wait out his lease on the cabin. Mitchell and Jason had evicted him, all in good humor, about a month early, so he could move in with them. It still took some getting used to; for a while, Sean suspected he would still think of it as Mitchell and Jason’s house. But they both loved him, and he loved both of them. It

was hard to be pessimistic or feel out of place when you were surrounded by so much love, at all hours of the day. “Come on,” Sean wheedled. “We could be like the Three Musketeers.” Mitchell would not be swayed. “I don’t remember the chapter where Porthos and Athos got matching tattoos.” “If you can prove you read that book and not just watched the Disney movie, I will give you a hundred dollars,” Jason said. “I plead the fifth on the grounds that I was in college, and Charlie Sheen used to be hot.” Closing his eyes, Sean was content to feel the hot, sharp lines of the tattoo being laid down. Let the other two men bicker it out. He didn’t think they needed tattoos, or any other physical representation of what they meant to each other. His new stripes, on the other hand, those were a reminder for him of what they’d been patient enough to teach him, and what he’d never again have a problem accepting. He might still be a solitary animal, but he belonged to them.

About the Author

The alter-ego of USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer Armintrout, Abigail Barnette was born during a conversation with author Bronwyn Green, who encouraged Jennifer to develop an elaborate fantasy persona-- complete with nom de plume-- under which to pen erotic romance. Abigail enjoys long naps in fairy-filled glades, running through corridors in tragically romantic haunted castles, and drinking goblet after goblet of spiced wine.

Abigail loves to talk to her readers and can be found at abigailbarnette.com.

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Possession by SW Vaughn

Devlin Island Series: Book One Sully Shaw is one of three – a coven of gay male witches on Devlin Island, charged with protecting the place from the ancient gate between worlds, deep in the woods, that sometimes lets evil things escape. Sully’s job is to banish demons and spirits – which works for him, because after his last disastrous relationship, he’d rather not deal with people. Until a gorgeous stranger crashes on his private beach and needs his help. Troy Landry was just out for a vacation, and maybe a fling, on Devlin Island. What he didn’t bargain for was crashing his boat on the beach, finding a hot naked man who claims to be a witch, and getting possessed by a demon who takes over his body when he falls asleep. The demon can’t be driven out until dawn – so Troy and Sully have to stay awake all night long. Lots of sex helps. But when they start falling for each other, incredible sex might not be enough to overcome Troy’s insecurities, Sully’s past trauma, and a demon bent on releasing its brethren and killing any mortal who stands in its way.

Moon Princess by Suzanne Graham As Celina Maddock left the office on a Friday evening, her coworker jumped into her car and demanded she get on the highway and drive fast after their sizzling kiss in the parking lot. She never imagined she’d get the gorgeous Barrett Osborn ordering her around; however, when he starts talking about Shadows, werewolves, and werebears, she becomes a little worried about his mental health. When Barrett’s lover, Stan Varka, offers his assistance in escaping the Shadows, Celina goes along with their strange story about shapeshifters, because finding herself the center of their attention becomes extremely erotic. Once they’ve finished their night of playacting, Celina doesn’t think she could possibly have a future with these two amazing lovers¼until they convince her that she really is the Moon Princess and the only hope for establishing peace between the wolves and the bears.

Ryland’s Sacrifice by Kim Dare Principles don’t pay tuition fees. When Ryland’s math scholarship disappears overnight, he has two choices. He can borrow money from fellow student Jason Burrows, who has very interesting ways of collecting debts. Or, he can volunteer to be thrown to the werelions. One night spent playing the part of a willing human sacrifice will give him enough money to finish his PhD. It seems like a good deal-right up until the moment he finds himself naked, blindfolded, bound and surrounded by lions.

Mind F*cked by Mia Watts Sage has the ability to read minds, but only in high passion moments when thoughts transmit at a higher frequency. But the gift is double-edged. Sage is inordinately handsome. Some might even say he’s a walking orgasm. So what’s a half-breed to do when every person he meets seems intent on seducing him, and how will he know if the man he chooses will love him for more than his looks? Joe has never been the object of anyone’s lust before. Now Sage, the hottest guy he’s ever laid eyes on, has Joe starring in his sexual fantasies. It would be perfect if only Sage could shut up for one minute, and quit talking about his own hotness—or about how he can read minds. Meanwhile, Joe and Sage must secure the last three Zodiac Stones and prevent their theft while they wait for exhibition. Can they put their sexual tension aside long enough to stop a clever thief? And even if they do, will Joe’s heart be a casualty of their inevitable fling, or could Sage really be looking for more than a one-night stand?

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