Seducing Their Wayfaring Souls [3xtasy Lake 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  He led her hand in swirling the minute amount of tea in her cup. “And then slowly turn your cup upside down.” She carefully flipped her cup over on the saucer and then let it sit there.

  Tara glanced over at Catherine, who was talking with a group of people.

  “She’ll come over and read them when it’s ready.” Cris winked at her.

  “This is silly.” Tara reached for her cup, but Cris caught her hand before she could reach it. “You can’t predict the future.”

  “What about Fate or destiny?” Cris asked as he held her hand but stroked the back of it with his other hand. “Don’t you believe some things are written in the stars and meant to be?”

  “That’s very romantic, but it’s not reality.” Tara wanted to go along with his game, but dreams didn’t come true and life wasn’t meant to be kind.

  “I owe you so much more than a simple apology.” He lifted her hand and pressed another kiss to the back of it. He brushed against her skin with the lightest of touches, but his eyes never left hers.

  “You don’t owe me anything, Cris.”

  “I wish I had never left you for even a moment.”

  She felt the heat creep up into her cheeks at his words and glanced around to see if anyone heard them. Even though Lars was playing a game with Zack, he had to have heard. She didn’t want to know what he thought of her now. “It wouldn’t have changed anything. We would’ve had an uncomfortable morning not knowing what to say and then we would’ve parted ways. Nothing would be different.” She doubted either of them would be interested in her. Cris might be because of Zack, but Lars must’ve heard the truth of the situation by now.

  Chapter Six

  Cris knew Tara didn’t understand what he meant. She was his Mate and if she’d been raised a shifter then their lives would’ve turned out completely differently. That night had changed his entire existence. He’d lost her once, and he wasn’t going to let it happen again. He glanced down at her teacup.

  “But, Fate brought you to me…to us yesterday.” It dawned on him then. If he hadn’t lost her that night, he never would’ve found his way here to Ecstasy Lake. Glancing up at Lars, he wondered what would’ve happened to his friend then. Would they have met under different circumstances? Would they have had the opportunity of building a family, the four of them, or would Lars have been left to wander the world?

  There would be a time to contemplate all the lives that had to cross for them to finally reach this point. That was something best saved for one night this winter when they were snowed in and could sit in front of a roaring fire and contemplate. Better yet, they could be in bed with Tara snuggled between them, lazy from lovemaking, then think about it.

  “It wasn’t Fate, Cris. It was a drunk driver who smashed into the back of my car for whatever reason he gave the police. By coincidence it happened outside of the town you live in.”

  “Moments before Lars and I came down the road?” It was a good thing he hadn’t known Tara and his son were in that car. He would’ve ripped the drunk to shreds for almost killing his Mate and child. The coywolf inside of him threatened to spring forward even thinking about it. Thankfully the police had arrested the man and he had been taken out of Cris’s reach before he could go back and seek revenge. The hunger to hurt him still glittered at the edges of his conscious thought.

  Tara peeked past him to where Lars and Zack continued to play the string game. Jelani had told him about Zack’s developmental delay. He couldn’t blame the doctor who diagnosed Zack so incorrectly. He blamed himself. But he was blessed with a Mate who didn’t turn away from a surprise pregnancy, nor was she disappointed when her child wasn’t perfect.

  “Zack’s lucky to have you for a mom. He’s a great kid and that has to be your influence.”

  Tara looked down and played with the edge of the napkin next to her saucer. “He’s an amazing kid.”

  “You said you had a hard time after he was born. You know a lot of people would’ve given up. I’m sorry your family didn’t see what a gift he is.”

  “I’ve asked myself a hundred times over the years if I made the right decision. Maybe he would be better off with a real family who loved him and could give him more. I felt so selfish for keeping him myself.”

  “Tara, I can’t tell you how glad I am, but I would’ve understood if you’d made a different decision.” He covered her hand with his own because what he really wanted to do was pull her into his lap and he knew she would fight him. “My family…we don’t have a lot of kids. It’s a genetic thing so I never imagined you would get pregnant that night.”

  Of course he’d planned on keeping her forever so an unplanned pregnancy had never occurred to him. Even when he lost her, it never dawned on him that she’d been carrying his child.

  “What was your childhood like?”

  Cris debated on what he should tell her and what would lead to more discussions and information she might not be ready for. “I was an unplanned child, too, only my mom wasn’t as wonderful. Not only was she unhappy about being pregnant, but she didn’t want to have a mixed breed for a child.”

  Tara gasped. “Your mother carried a prejudice against your father’s race?”

  That’s one way of putting it. Cris nodded. “I guess she had sex with him as a lark, never expecting any consequences.”

  His mother had slept with the coyote for shits and giggles. In her mind, his father was nothing more than a servant she was allowing to touch her. When she had realized they were Mates and he’d gotten her pregnant, her brothers had hunted him down and drove him off. Cris didn’t doubt she’d tried her best to get rid of him before he was born. Once in this world he’d been passed from servant to servant, never to be seen or acknowledged. Desperate to get out from under her thumb, he’d started looking for his father and discovered he’d joined the military but died in the first Gulf War crisis.

  Most shifters didn’t care about cross breeding, but there were still sections of Guardians that wanted to do tests on them. He’d overheard his mother planning on giving him to them. There wasn’t a good use for a coywolf except for genetic testing. He had left that night and never looked back.

  “I’m sorry, Cris, but that’s disgusting. How could a mother turn her back on their child?”

  “Because not all women are such wonderful mothers as you.”

  “You don’t even know me.”

  “True, but I’ve learned a lot of things by watching you.” He nodded toward Zack. “You’ve been checking on him as we talk. I can tell when your attention drifts to Lars.”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “That’s too bad.” He grinned and moved his hand so it rested at the base of her spine. “This is a very liberal town, Tara. You won’t get judged here.”

  Her arousal spiked, a soft caress of musk and her own unique scent. His inner animal rolled on its back with its tongue out, playing with the scent. It was good to know Tara was open to the kind of relationship they wanted to have with her.

  Catherine came over at that moment, breaking the tension that flowered between them again. His primal side wasn’t impressed, but Cris figured Catherine wouldn’t be too happy if he lifted Tara up on the counter and buried his face between her legs.

  She lifted the cup and turned it slightly to the left and right. Lars continued to play the game with Zack, but Cris knew he was paying attention to Catherine as well.

  “What do you see?” Tara asked quietly.

  “An onion before a ladder.” Catherine frowned and turned the cup slightly again and tilted it to the side. “The onion’s a sign of secrets that will be discovered and the ladder’s a journey that will be taken because of what you discover.”

  “That sounds fascinating, like if we found a map and had to look for treasure.” Tara grinned at Zack. “Do you like the sound of that, Zack?”

  “Cool!” He held up his thumb and dropped his string.

  Cris and Lars looked at each other over Tara’s head as sh
e helped her son pick it up. There were plenty of secrets in this town, and what if they drove her away?

  “There’s a razor, too, which means separation from those you love or family. But, there’s flowers lying over it. The flowers are a sign of happiness, family, and love. I think you’ll have a choice of paths to follow and will determine your future. There are too many paths to be certain of the outcome right now.”

  “That’s sounds interesting. How do you know all this stuff? Can you show Zack and I?”

  Catherine pointed out all the symbols in Tara’s cup, to her delight. Cris knew as well as Lars there was more to this than simply a treasure hunt. They could lose her if they weren’t careful. Fate had taken a hand in his life too much for him to discount Catherine’s reading. Lars smacked Cris on the shoulder and nodded. Cris took that to mean they’d do whatever they had to, to make certain Tara and Zack stayed in Ecstasy Lake.

  If that meant he was going to have to get the entire town in on this, then he would. He had the ability to get things out over the air and he was going to do it, too. First thing was he was going to tell the Benoit brothers to take a fishing trip for a few days and buy them a bit more time.

  * * * *

  Tara stood in the shower that evening trying to plan out her next step. She’d hoped that she wouldn’t be here tonight and would already be back on the road, but after multiple phone calls and messages at the auto shop, she didn’t know any more than she had that morning. According to the message on the machine that afternoon Georges and Luc Benoit had gone fishing. Fishing!

  Didn’t they realize that she had limited funds to work with? The only reason she had some money tucked away was by strictly budgeting everything in her life. Now she was stuck in that hotel room and she wasn’t entirely certain what it was going to cost her. Every time she mentioned cost to Albert he started talking about Coronation Street or told her not to worry, they’d work it out later. Later. Everything was later.

  She turned and dropped her head under the pulsing water. It felt so good massaging her head, she moved and let the thumping water pound away on her shoulders and the back of her neck. River had called before she got in the shower and asked her how she felt. She said if Tara wanted she could come by the clinic tomorrow and River would give her another treatment. Tara considered it because River told her that since she was still a student, she couldn’t charge Tara for the treatment. At least that was saving her some and she did feel much better after River had worked on her last night.

  She grabbed the tiny shampoo on the shelf and poured a bit on her palm. The scent of bergamot and orange tickled her senses. It was fresh and lively. Tara soaped up her hair and then grabbed the bottle of shower gel, thrilled it was the same scent. She poured a tiny amount in her bath puff and lathered it to wash herself. If I’m careful I can make this last a while. She was so used to buying the cheapest soap available when she went shopping, this felt like five-star luxury.

  Her hands slipped along her wet skin and her thoughts drifted to Cris and Lars. A giggle threatened to escape her lips at the decadent idea she never would’ve considered before stopping in this little town. There were so many polyrelationships living there it almost felt normal. She’d watched the way they interacted with each other at Jessica’s the night before. The one thing she had noticed was that all the men did everything they could to make their wives happy. She hadn’t seen a single moment of jealousy or bad feelings. River had sat in Hugh’s lap for most of the night, but Boyd and Gavin had been content to hold her hand, or she would have her feet resting on one of their legs.

  Tara couldn’t imagine the incredible weight that would lift off her shoulders if she had one person to share her problems with, much less two. Part of her considered the idea of staying, but there was no place for her to get a job, and Zack needed special schools according to the doctor who had seen him when he was little. Of course that doctor also had said Zack would never hold a pencil or be able to write his name and her son could do both of those things when he concentrated.

  But if the stars aligned and she won the lottery and was able to stay here in Ecstasy Lake, she’d get a nice little cottage. Once Zack was tucked away in bed asleep, perhaps Lars and Cris would come over for a visit.

  She slipped her hands over her breasts, her nipples crinkling under her palms as she imagined what each of them would feel like as they touched her. Lars’s hands would be much bigger, and his fingers would be strong. She pinched her nipples and imagined Lars was behind her, here in her shower holding her up as he played with her breasts. Cris would be on his knees in front of me.

  She leaned back against the warm tiles and lifted one foot on the edge of the tub. Slowly she traced a path with her fingers between her legs. Cris would take his time teasing, like he had that night almost seven years before. She remembered the feel of his thick fingers when he first brushed his knuckles against her pussy. She’d jumped, startling him, and the two of them laughed, but only for a moment because as he began caressing her again, she almost lost her breath.

  She stroked her fingers along the wet path of her pussy lips, pretending it was Cris’s lips on her. Round and round she circled the small, throbbing nub, while caressing her breasts with her other hand. The two of them would support her as she moved, holding her, keeping her safe as they played with her body. Cris would growl like he did that night. Sometimes she dreamed of that hungry sound and woke up aching. She ached now, but her fingers were tracing smaller and smaller circles, centering on her clit.

  Lars was such a big guy she imagined he could hold her up with one hand. His other hand would play with her bum, teasing that forbidden entrance she didn’t dare fantasize too much about. She’d read stories about being taken that way. Her legs shook as she thought more and more about what it would feel like with Cris’s cock stretching her pussy as Lars pressed his cock into her ass. Full, she would feel so full…

  A pounding echoed around her, destroying the erotic mental image she’d been creating “Mom!” Zack’s muffled voice came through the door before he pounded against it again.

  “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” Tara lifted her hand and turned off the water. Her body ached and throbbed for relief.

  “Mom! Are you in there?”

  She obviously wasn’t going to get relief right now. “Zachery Cristopher Brewer, what do you want?”

  Silence answered her question. Obviously the use of his full name caught his attention and he was trying to figure out why he was in trouble. Tara took a deep, calming breath. It wasn’t his fault and she shouldn’t take her frustrations out on him.

  “What do you need, Zack?”

  “I forgot my toothbrush in there.”

  Tara looked at the counter, and sure enough the small Transformers toothbrush was lying on the counter next to hers. She couldn’t afford to take Zack to the dentist so she was very careful he kept his teeth well cleaned.

  “Hold on.” Wrapping a towel around herself first, she opened the door and passed Zack the toothbrush.

  “Thankth, Mom.” He took off running into his room and the bathroom in there. The cool air in the room had rushed into the bathroom as soon as she opened the door and chilled her skin. She looked back at the warm shower and debated continuing her fantasies, but reality was a cold-hearted bitch Tara had to keep an eye on. She couldn’t afford to let her heart make any more decisions for her. While she was glad Cris knew about his son and hoped perhaps he would want to be a part of his life and help with some expenses, she didn’t count on it. She’d seen too many girls and women in her situation count on their child’s father to help out. Some did, but most took off running because they could.

  She spent the rest of her evening reading stories to Zack and telling him about Manitoba. She’d picked up a big book about Canada at a garage sale a few weeks earlier and used it as a reference for some of his questions. She also didn’t want him to fall too far behind in school and it was also good practice for homeschooling if tha
t worked out for them.

  When he finally floated off to sleep, she didn’t crawl into her bed right away. Instead, she curled up next to him and watched him sleep. He was growing up so fast she was afraid she would miss something in her hustle and bustle of keeping their heads afloat. She wanted her son to grow up a strong man who would take care of his family and not blindly follow along with everyone else because he was afraid to go against the grain.

  When she did make her way into her own bed, the sheets were crisp and clean and smelled wonderful, but she wished she had someone or two someones to warm her up. She drifted off to sleep thinking about Cris and Lars and wondering how life might have been different if she’d stayed put on the beach the night she’d met Cris.

  Chapter Seven

  “Mom, can we go to the mutheum?” Zack asked as they walked through the lobby of the hotel. She’d tried phoning the garage again but got the same stupid fishing message. Her dreams had been filled with Cris and Lars, and this morning she’d woken up moments before an orgasm was going to rocket through her. After her interruption in the shower last night and then again this morning, she was more than a little frustrated. There was a solution to the constant ache in her pussy, but was she brave enough to accept it? At a loss for what to do, she decided to go for another walk with Zack.

  “I guess so,” she answered. “Was there something specific you wanted to look at again?”

  “Maybe, and maybe we can visit the old ladieth next door.”

  Tara grinned. So that was his angle. A few times Tara had to work a late shift and had taken Zack with her to the diner. Her sweet boy had never complained and he’d become fast friends with the seniors who would stop in for dinner. She was so lucky Zack was such an easygoing kid. She’d watched some families whose kids screamed and acted out during dinner. Her father would’ve beat her senseless for acting like that. Not that it had done any good, because she’d never beat on Zack and he was a good boy.