Wild & Steamy Read online

  “No other option, brother. We have to let her choose,” Sam said.

  Jeremiah nodded. But he knew very well that her choice would tear the two of them apart.

  Sam gave him a hopeful look. “Do you suppose she—”

  “Nah,” Jeremiah said. “Wishful thinking, there.”

  *** *** ***

  Even though the men were content to wait around her house, Miko was not. She stalked up and down on her big wrap-around porch, her mind full of rushing thoughts – of the men in her house, the hunters, and, oddly enough, her mother. She headed back into the kitchen and picked up the phone again.

  “Miko-chan?” Yui said softly when she picked up. “Is everything all right?”

  The worry in her mother’s voice made Miko sick with guilt. She never called unless something was wrong, and immediately she felt like a jerk. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that Miko had issues reconciling her fox half. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that hunters had moved into the area. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that Miko hadn’t known about Hayami. Her mother had tried, and Miko had interrupted her, accusing her of matchmaking. She sighed. “Hello, Mother.”

  Yui’s voice was mild, tentative. “I worry about you, Miko-chan. Are you well?”

  “I’m fine,” she said softly, in English.

  “You do not take good care of yourself, daughter.”

  “I know.” Miko grimaced and leaned against the wall. “Look, Mother, I’m sorry. I know I should keep in touch more. I just get…caught up in things.”

  “You want control over yourself. I understand these things,” her mother said in a wry voice. “When I was your age, I fought hard to be a normal human girl so I could please your father and make him happy. And in the end, I had to realize that I could not fight my nature. It is who we are, Miko. We are kitsune. It does not make us wrong. It just makes us different.”

  She sighed. Normally she would roll her eyes at her mother’s teachings, but for once they had a ring of truth. She was so tired of fighting her attraction to Jeremiah and Sam. Would it be so terrible to choose one? To bring him to her bed and end this awful war with herself and her hormones? But even as she thought it, she knew that wasn’t the answer.

  The fox wanted both men, of course. And that was the part she kept getting stuck on. Even if she could pick just one…how fair would it be to try to build a relationship, only for him to discover that he wasn’t enough for her after all? That she’d crave more than one man to sate her restless fox side?

  That was the tricky part.

  “Thank you, Mother,” she said softly. “For sending them this week. They’ve been a big help.”

  Her mother gave a soft, knowing chuckle. “I sent you more than one strong man, Miko-chan. Your kitsune would be quite happy with two men in your bed, you know.”

  Oh jeez. How quickly they went from a truce to TMI. “Thanks, Mother,” she said dryly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “It would do you good to embrace your fox side, Miko-chan. Trust your mother.”

  Embrace her fox side. A horn blared in the distance, so faint that human ears would never catch it. Miko stared out the window. She could embrace her fox side. Once and for all. “I will, Mother. Thank you. I’ll come by tomorrow.”

  Yui made a pleased noise of surprise.

  “Gotta go,” Miko added quickly, before her mother could say anything else. “Love you.”

  She hung up the phone and stepped back outside onto the porch. In the distance, her heightened senses picked up the faint sound of a horn again, and her hands tightened into fists. Who was it the fox club was hunting now? Hayami again? One of the other foxes? Or was her mother next?

  No matter who it was, she couldn’t sit idly by and wait for something to happen. It was sweet that her two protectors were concerned for her safety, it really was. But her fox form had a human brain, and she didn’t intend to end up as prey.

  She could take care of this if she embraced her fox side, like her mother said. Fighting the inevitable only meant hiding from the world, and she was tired of hiding.

  Putting her hands to the window screen, she peeked through the glass to the interior of the house. The men were speaking in the kitchen, neither looking in her direction. Perfect. Now was an ideal time to carry out her plan. Miko began to head back to the kitchen and then stopped. This conversation needed to be private. She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and began to dial, walking down the porch to get away from the windows and any possibility that her conversation might drift to the wrong ears.

  “Information,” said the voice on the other line. “What city and state?”

  “I need the police department in Little Paradise, Texas.” Miko took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “I have a crime to report.”

  The woman on the line made a startled noise. “A crime? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Miko replied. “The crime hasn’t happened yet.”

  “Oh.” The operator got very quiet, and then cleared her throat. “I’ll connect you through.”

  The line got quiet, and then a second operator picked up a few moments later, this one male. “Little Paradise police department. Can I help you?”

  “Hi. I’m going to give you an address,” Miko began, realizing she probably sounded a little crazy. “There’s a crime in progress.” She quickly rattled off the street address, and since she was outside of the city, gave them landmark specifics.

  The cop paused for a moment, and she could hear him typing. “What kind of crime is it?”

  Oops. She hung up on him, wincing. Hopefully that vague threat would still get them to come out. Because if not, her little plan was going downhill fast. She tucked her phone back into her jeans pocket, and then began to remove her shirt.

  The plan? Set herself up as fox-bait, drag the hunters right to the cops, and then escape before anyone would even notice she was gone. Her problem would be taken care of, the local foxes would be safe from the idiot hunters, and she’d finally get the two men out of her hair and her house back to herself.

  So why did it feel like such a lousy idea? Why was it so very depressing to think of waking up and having an empty house tomorrow morning?

  *** *** ***

  The sound of a nearby hunting horn caused both men to come out of their funk. Sam cocked his head slightly, listening for the telltale thunder of horses’ hooves in the distance. To his side, Jeremiah got to his feet, a grim expression crossing his face.

  “Where’s Miko?” he asked.

  Sam put down the wrench and wiped his hand on his shirt. Thinking about how dinner had turned sour had bothered him, and when Sam was bothered, he worked with his hands. He’d spent the past hour fiddling with the leak in Miko’s faucet, and had completely lost track of time. He’d thought that Jeremiah was in the other room, placating her or trying to make her understand his – their – frustration. But maybe not. “She’s not with you?”

  “No. I haven’t seen her since dinner.”

  The hounds bayed nearby, and the hunting horn sounded. The skin on the back of Sam’s neck prickled. It was obvious they’d found something. On a hunch, he ran out to the porch…and stared at Miko’s discarded t-shirt and the pile of her clothing. “Shit! Jere, she’s run off.”

  Even as he stripped down and began to transform, Jeremiah was at his side, doing the same. Their goal was Miko’s safety, and as the horn sounded again, off in the distance, he desperately hoped they weren’t too late.

  *** *** ***

  Run, run faster. Dart under bushes, weave through the grasses. Wiggle down a foxhole and come out the other side. Miko’s brain rambled directions to her, as if that could make her small black paws move faster, or stop her tail from twitching in anxiety.

  The hounds were nearly upon her, the hunters hot on their heels, the horn braying in her ear. Her plan had seemed better from the safety of her porch. In fox form, her thoughts became frantic, fleeting and wild, and she struggled to maintain a se
nse of control over her emotions, even as she ran for her life. All she had to do was get to the road, where the police would be waiting. The fox-hunters would be caught red-handed, and her life would be her own again.

  Providing she didn’t get caught first.

  Providing she still wanted things – all things – to go back to normal.

  A beagle bayed in her ear – too close. She slammed to the left, darting under a bush and veering away from her path toward the side of the highway. She had to – they were trying to corral her, shepherd her in a roundabout way toward safer ground for them, whereas she kept picking paths through bramble and under barbed wire fences and whatever she could to throw them off. It still wasn’t working, though – one was so close she could smell the scent of cheap dog food on his breath.

  Something snapped at her tail, and it stung, fur ripping. He’d nearly caught her by her tail! Miko gave a little yelp and darted again.

  She heard a growling roar, and then the sound of a cougar-scream. Miko’s already fraying nerves splintered, and it took her a moment to calm and realize that the men had come to her rescue, again. She could smell them now, a mixture of Sam, Jeremiah, and wildcat blending with the scent of the hounds and the hard, earthy smell of the dirt beneath her feet.

  Behind her, the hounds scattered as the two cats appeared. One yelped, and just like that, Miko felt the heavy pressure of her followers lift off her back – they weren’t so close on her tail any longer. A rifle shot rang out, the horn brayed again, and chaos reigned.

  One of the cats – the lynx, moved in step behind her, and she knew what he was thinking. He’d trail her, make it seem as if he were hunting her, and the dogs would scatter because of the difference – and dangerousness – of the new hunter. The hunt would be over.

  They were going to ruin her plan.

  She was out here risking her neck, and they were going to destroy everything for her. Fury shot through her mind, and when Sam sprinted forward slightly, moving to her left – an obvious herding motion – she darted through his legs and cut across the underbrush.

  Back toward the highway again, where she could hear the faint wail of a siren.

  The hounds began to bray once more, sensing her escape, and the chase was on again – this time it was dogs, hunters, and shapeshifting felines all chasing after her tiny fox form.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that she’d be dead if they caught her, Miko would have laughed at the situation.

  There, in the distance – the highway. Red and blue lights flashed, and she could hear the jingle of a police officer, the buzz of his radio. Don’t see anything out here, he was saying to the radio. Confirm address?

  She ran straight for him.

  It must have been an unusual sight – a tiny fox darting out of the woods to cross the empty highway. A pack of dogs hot on her heels, then behind them, a wild cat or two, and then hunters on horseback. She wanted to stop and admire her handiwork, to see the expression on the hunters’ faces as they realized they’d had the worst of luck and had landed in the lap of a law-enforcement official. But the hounds were still on her tail (literally), and so she continued to run, circling wide. She could skirt the edges of the golf course and trot her way back home, safe and sound.

  “Stop there,” she could hear the police officer yell at the hunters. “Put down your weapons and call off those dogs!”

  Excellent. The horn rang out again, and the dogs began to fall back. Miko wanted to do a happy dance, but she kept running, because she wasn’t an idiot and–

  Something grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

  Panic shot over her again, and Miko writhed, feeling the bite of hot jaws over the back of her neck. A predator had her! She squirmed, paws flailing, as she was lifted off the ground.

  But then a moment later, she was overwhelmed with the scent of Jeremiah and cougar, and she realized that the jaws on her throat were merely carrying her, like a kitten, and she relaxed slightly, though her instincts would not allow her to completely relax with his mouth around her vulnerable throat.

  The lynx stepped in place next to them, and then shot ahead slightly, taking the path that Miko normally did, back to her house.

  She was sure they were furious at her, but she didn’t care. Happiness shot through her body, deflecting away all anger. The hunters would be taken care of, and she and her fox cousins would be safe. She’d done it. She’d taken care of the problem.

  Maybe there was something to this fox-thing after all.

  Several minutes later, they arrived back to her porch, and Jeremiah’s lanky cat form slunk up the steps, then deposited Miko on her discarded clothing like he would a delicate cub. The fur on the back of her neck was damp from his mouth, and her tail stung from where the hound had bitten the fur off. Her natural instinct was to stay in animal form until the stinging went away – it wouldn’t take long and she healed much faster in fox-form, but her adrenaline was still pumping after the rush through the woods and the success of her plan.

  So she crouched low on the porch and began to change back to human form.

  Miko was the first one to fully retain her form, and when she did, a patch of skin on her buttock throbbed, the skin raw. She put a hand to it, wincing. Perhaps she should have stayed in fox form after all.

  A quick glance over showed that the two men were finished transforming, tanned skin rippling. Sam got up from a crouch, rising to his full height next to her and she got her first look at his fully naked body.

  He was beautiful. His flesh was sleek and toned, not a spare muscle or hint of fat anywhere on his body. A swimmer’s body, an athlete’s body, with a hard chest and corded shoulders. His cock, she was happy to see, was long and beautiful – everything she’d wanted it to be.

  Behind him, Jeremiah stood slowly, his naked body was a thing of beauty as well. He wore a dark frown on his face, though, and strode forward, checking her over to ensure for himself that she was healed. His hands ran over her body with worry.

  “You risked your neck,” Sam said in a low voice, striding toward her. “Of all the stupid, crazy things to do–”

  “I knew what I was doing,” Miko protested, but her words died as Sam stepped behind her and knelt, examining her wound.

  “It was still incredibly foolish,” Jeremiah said, sliding his hands over her arms, checking for wounds.

  It was an incredible turn-on. Both men had their hands on her, bare flesh touching her own. Desire flooded through her, and a small sigh of pleasure escaped her throat. She wanted both of them. Together. Forgetting all about the rawness on her buttock or the fact that both men were currently pissed at her, she reached for Jeremiah with one hand, and Sam with the other.

  “Miko,” Jeremiah breathed, gazing into her eyes. “What are you trying to tell us? What do you want from us?”

  Sam said nothing, but she felt his hands circle her thigh, felt the gentle press of his mouth against her buttock, nipping at the place where her skin had been abraded.

  Miko shook her head. “I…I can’t choose between the two of you. And I don’t want to.”

  She trailed her hand across Jeremiah’s jaw, then down to his naked chest, splaying her fingers across it. She could feel his heart beating rapidly underneath her palm, felt the warmth of his skin. Her other hand – the hand on Sam’s shoulder where he crouched behind her – lifted, and she felt Sam kiss the palm. Flutters of heat moved through her.

  “You want to do this?” Jeremiah whispered, then leaned in and cupped her face in his hands.

  “Don’t you? Both of you?” she asked, then leaned over and bit at his thumb gently.

  Sam’s fingers brushed down her thighs. “Then I suggest we go inside,” he said in a low, husky voice. “Much as I admire your porch, I don’t know if the neighbors will approve of you keeping house with two guys.”

  A laugh bubbled out of her throat and she wrapped her arms around Jeremiah’s neck. “I don’t have any neighbors.”

  He lifted her into t
he air, pulling her body close to his. She felt as light as a feather in his arms. Jeremiah was so strong, so built. She glanced backward to see if Sam was still with them, needing him there too. He had retrieved her clothing from the porch and locked the door behind them, then bounded up the stairs after Miko and Jeremiah.

  Jere hesitated a moment, clearly torn between moving to the guest room or invading Miko’s bedroom.

  For some reason, that touched her. Even though they were going to take the next move, he didn’t want to push her. She liked that about him – about both of them. So she leaned in and bit at Jeremiah’s shoulder gently. “My room has the biggest bed.”

  “Your room it is,” Sam agreed behind them, and she felt his hand run down her back in a light caress.

  Jere swung the door open and the three of them entered her bedroom. Her room was an absolute mess – the only part of the house where the men had studiously avoided going, so it wasn’t neat and tidy like the rest of the farmhouse. And she didn’t care, either. With a fluid motion, Jere tossed her down on the big king-sized bed and she stared up, waiting.

  Her gaze slid over to the nearby dresser, next to the window. Her mother’s little bonsai tree sat there, no worse for the wear considering she’d tossed it out. Oddly enough, she was glad to see it. “Did one of you—”

  “It looked like it needed a home,” Sam said, then his hot naked body slid onto the bed next to her and she forgot all about bonsai trees.

  His mouth landed on hers in a hungry kiss. His lips were on hers, coaxing and teasing with soft tugs, his tongue sliding into her mouth to suggest further delights. Slowly, he stroked at her tongue with his, tasting her. Then again, in a more rapid motion, giving her an entirely different suggestion.

  Miko kissed him back, biting at his tongue with little nips when he tried to stroke into her mouth again. Warm, large hands began to caress her body, and she realized that while Sam was coaxing her mouth with his own, Jeremiah was stroking her skin with his hands. She could feel his knuckles sliding over her side, grazing the edge of a breast and trailing down to her hip, over and over again as Sam’s mouth possessed her own. It was a thrilling dichotomy – stroking hands and thrusting kisses.