“You’re…” she said, waving her finger back and forth.
“No, but I’m hoping Flick’ll let me take her out to see if we’re…”
There was something of a lazy predator about Sen, like he’d lie in wait with endless patience, waiting for me to stick up my head out so he could gobble me up. But his end goal was for something that both of us would enjoy.
I could see it, clear as a bell in my mind, what it’d be like with the three of them. They’d stretch me out tight, the boys holding me down as Sen prowled over me, taking tiny little bites from me, until I spread my legs and begged for a whole lot more.
Goddamn… I swore to myself. Is this because I’m enjoying sex for the first time in years? Because I’m dripping…
The Great Wolf provides, my Tirian replied obliquely. You have suffered more than most of her children, so she gifts you this.
What? Sen?
No. Stroke your finger along the man’s palm.
I frowned as I did just that.
It felt insanely intimate, his eyes staying on mine the whole time I did as she asked. I caught the moment it registered, his pupils expanding, his breathing becoming ragged, and a low moan escaping those full lips, as if against his will. He glanced down at his hand and mine, but when he looked back at me, his eyes shone green.
“Come out with me, Flick, please. I’ll…” He shook his head. “I dunno what I’ll do, but I’ll look after you and make sure you have a good time, I promise.”
Sheila looked at the two of us as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Flick?”
The urge to say yes, to any and all that he offered beat down on me like actual blows. I wanted it, him, all of them, and a flush of heat washed through my whole body, leaving me feeling limp and delicious. I looked at him through heavily lidded eyelids, taking my time, noticing the way the fabric of his t-shirt stretched tight over his taut muscles, the clawing of his other hand as he dug his nails into the table to stop himself from launching at me. He felt it too, I guessed, from the tense set of his shoulders.
“Yes,” I said. Just one little word, but it felt like I was agreeing to so much more. A life of pleasure and fun, of desire and need, of support and love and caring for people with my whole heart, while they held it like the precious thing it was. Not necessarily with Sen. That was yet to be seen, but to this life, of having mates, of surrounding my child with an array of people who would love and care for him as I did.
“Everything OK, Flick?” Peter asked.
“Oh, it's all OK, isn’t it?” Aidan said, brushing his nose against my neck before pulling away. He put a laden plate before me. “You smell…creamy.”
“And you’re gonna enjoy that when she gets home,” Sen said, not entirely friendly. Then he smiled, breaking that brief moment of tension and turning to me. “Tell me I can come and get you tonight.”
“Kade will be in bed and asleep by seven-thirty,” I replied.
“Eight o’clock too early for you?”
“Will you guys be alright?” I said, shooting both of my mates a look.
“You wanna see how things go? I’m fine with it. Sen’s a good guy,” Peter said. “I’ll pound his head into the ground if he hurts you.”
“And I’ll kick him when he’s down,” Aidan said. “But this is a good idea. We need to trial you spending time away from Kade, get him used to it before the heat hits. I say we tell him what we’re doing.”
I nodded. “If he reacts… He’s been doing so well but…”
“I’ll understand,” Sen said. “Hell, I’d be happy just h
anging around and watching a movie if it comes to it. That be OK with you fellas?”
“You promised Kade those MCU cartoons. He hasn’t forgotten,” Aidan said.
“Right, right. Well, I can be around at five-thirty. Bring some dinner and the DVDs. I’ll meet Kade and get to know him better, then if you feel like it, I’ll take Flick out.”
The words were like a cold face washer on my forehead, taking away some of the ever-present heat. Nerida and Mick had filed back to the table, glancing around, no doubt trying to determine what had just happened.
But the moment was over. I was left feeling flushed and slightly embarrassed, like I’d been caught doing something horribly intimate.