A Pair of Bears: Bear Shifter Menage Paranormal Romance Read online

  Paisley picked up the armor. “I don’t know how to make soup. I only do take-out. Would he rather have wonton, or hot and sour?”

  An unexpectedly sweet smile lit Eli’s face as he started walking again. “He’d rather have chicken noodle. But I’ll make the soup. You can curl up next to him and purr.”

  Paisley laughed. “I can do that.”

  They made it to the service entrance of SmartDefense without any problems. Paisley scouted for onlookers, then signaled to Eli that it was safe to come out. He carried Jackson to his car. Paisley opened the back door and got in, and Eli laid him down in the back seat with his head in her lap.

  Paisley inspected Jackson as Eli drove, frowning at the cuts and bruises on his handsome face. He’d willingly taken a brutal beating rather than give her away. And Eli had tried to protect her even when he’d thought he was dying.

  It didn’t matter how long she’d spent unloved and alone. She was loved now, and she knew that Jackson and Eli would never betray her or hurt her or let her down. And all they wanted from her in return was for her to love them back.

  She’d leaped to their defense without a second thought, attacking four armed men as a housecat. But believing in love— trusting in love— admitting to love— felt so much more dangerous than that. Even now, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to say that word aloud.

  Jackson’s eyes fluttered open. He looked confused, his gaze drifting from Paisley’s face to the back of Eli’s head. “Are we going home?”

  Paisley took his hand. “Home is with the people who love you, remember? You’re already home.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess I am.” Jackson squeezed her hand, then closed his eyes again, slipping back into unconsciousness.

  “Huh,” Paisley muttered to herself. “That wasn’t so hard. I said it without even thinking about it.”

  “What?” Eli asked.

  “I told Jackson I love him. I love you too, Eli.” That wasn’t hard, either. She leaned forward to stroke Eli’s stubble-rough cheek.

  He turned his head to kiss her fingers. “And I love you. There, now we’re even.”

  Eli pulled into a garage. He got out and punched in a code to open the apartment door, then lifted Jackson out of the back seat and carried him to a bedroom. Paisley watched as Eli laid Jackson down on a bed, then eased off his shirt. His chest and side were badly bruised where he’d been kicked. Jackson didn’t wake, even when Eli gently ran his hands over his ribs, skull, and neck.

  Eli straightened up, looking relieved. “He might have some cracked ribs, and he obviously has a concussion. But I think that’s it. If he was human, I’d take him to the hospital. But he’s a shifter, so he’ll be fine once he gets some rest.”

  Maybe Eli had been joking when he’d suggested turning into a cat, but Paisley figured it couldn’t hurt. While Eli fetched a medical kit, then cleaned the cuts on Jackson’s face and head, Paisley curled up by his side and purred.

  She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but she was worn out. Paisley didn’t wake up until Eli called her name. She blinked up, briefly uncertain of where she was. Then memory came back to her.

  Jackson was sitting up in bed and eating a bowl of soup, looking much better. The bruises on his face had faded to near-invisibility, and the cuts had closed into pink lines. Eli sat on the edge of the bed, holding out another bowl to Paisley.

  Jackson scratched behind her ears. “If you put it on the floor, she could lap it.”

  Paisley meowed indignantly, then became a woman again. She put her clothes back on and took the bowl of soup. “Thanks, Eli.”

  The soup was delicious, hot and soothing, full of noodles and chunks of chicken.

  “You can cook,” Paisley said, surprised.

  “Yeah, I told you.” Eli helped himself to the bowl on the bedside table.

  “No, I mean you can cook.”

  Jackson laughed. “It’s his hobby. You should try his risotto.”

  “I can’t wait,” Paisley said, and returned to her soup. When the three of them had finished their bowls, she looked again at the nearly-healed cuts on Jackson’s face. “How long did I sleep?”

  “About twelve hours,” Eli replied. “I took the armor to a reporter friend of Jackson’s, and the data’s been released over the internet. So has the video of Reed ripping off his own bulletproof vest. News stations are already starting to air it.”

  “So it worked,” she said.

  “Well, the Navy hasn’t made any announcements yet,” Eli said cautiously. “But yeah, probably it worked.”

  In the silence that fell, Paisley knew the men were waiting for her to speak. Their faces were turned to her, expectant and hopeful and a tiny bit worried.

  She elbowed Jackson and lightly punched Eli in the shoulder. “Come on! I already said I love you. What do you think I’m going to say? That I changed my mind?”

  “Well…” From the relief on Jackson’s face, he obviously hadn’t ruled out that possibility. “I was pretty out of it when you told me you loved me. Might have been a hallucination.”

  Deadpan, Eli said, “Yeah, I might’ve been hallucinating too. Could’ve been an after-effect of the poison.”

  Paisley laughed. With that, the last of her reservations fell away. Sure, love was scary. But she was a woman who climbed hundred story buildings on a regular basis. She was used to scary. And she wasn’t going to let fear keep her from the men she loved.

  “I love you,” she said. “I love you both. And if you still don’t believe me, maybe I can demonstrate.”

  She reached out, pulling both men close. As she kissed Jackson’s lips, she felt Eli’s mouth press against her cheek. Eli’s burly arms wrapped around her, and Jackson’s long fingers stroked her.

  Ripples of delicious sensation flowed out from each man’s touch. She was surrounded by their body heat and by their scent. Paisley inhaled deeply, breathing in Jackson’s woodsy cologne, Eli’s clean sweat, and heady warmth of each man’s own masculine scent. It was intoxicating.

  If she’d ever imagined making love with two men at once, she’d probably have thought it would be awkward and weird. It wasn’t at all. Instead, it felt completely natural.

  Jackson lifted off Paisley’s shirt, and Eli tugged off her pants. She stripped each man in turn. Then all three knelt nude on the bed. The rich light of late afternoon filtered through the curtains, making strands of Eli’s brown hair glow gold and sending shimmers across Jackson’s skin.

  Paisley enjoyed the sight of each man, so different from each other and so irresistible in their own unique ways. Jackson was masculine yet elegant, with his smooth brown skin and perfectly proportioned body, his sharp intelligence visible in every deft movement of his clever hands and each flicker of his dark eyes. Eli had the dangerous grace of a wild animal, like the grizzly bear he could become. His scars told the story of his courage, and his eyes were like pieces of the sky.

  “My beautiful mates,” she murmured.

  “You’re so gorgeous, Paisley,” Eli said. “I feel so lucky.”

  “So do I,” Jackson said.

  Warm happiness and hot desire burned in Paisley at the admiration— and raw lust— in both men’s hungry gaze at her naked body. She could see for herself how much they loved her, how attracted they were to her, how—

  Eli pounced, sending her tumbling backward on to a heap of pillows. She squeaked in surprise, making Jackson laugh. Then Jackson’s hands were on her shoulders, pinning her in place, and Eli was kissing and licking his way down her body.

  She’d already experienced Jackson’s gentle playfulness, and Eli’s fierce passion. But now she saw another side of them. Jackson gripped her shoulders and kissed her hard, his tongue thrusting into her mouth and his teeth nipping lightly at her lips. Eli took his time, teasing every inch of her skin with his hot tongue and rough stubble, inching his way downward with exciting, excruciating slowness.

  Paisley lay back, half-sitting and half-reclining, propped up against the p
illows. She was perfectly positioned to enjoy their attentions, now caressing the shifting musculature of Jackson’s broad shoulders or stroking his face, now reaching down to tug Eli’s hair or put a fingertip in his mouth for him to suck.

  Eli’s strong hands pushed her thighs apart. Paisley sucked in a breath of anticipation, waiting for the touch of his tongue. She was soaking wet already, squirming with eagerness. But he made her wait, nibbling and kissing at the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, until she was nearly out of her mind with frustration.

  “Get on with it, you tease!” Paisley gasped, giving his head a futile shove. “You’re making me crazy!”

  Eli chuckled, sending a warm breath of air over her clit, but only returned to kissing her inner thighs.

  “While you’re waiting…” Jackson said, and knelt to give her access to his cock.

  She caught his hips in her hands, tracing the elegant curves of his pelvis, before she bent her head toward him. A glistening bead of pre-cum fell, and she caught it in her mouth. It was slippery and faintly sweet.

  Jackson’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, watching her, and she heard his soft intake of breath. Paisley moved in and swirled her tongue over the head of his cock. He gasped aloud, and his hands came down to clench on her shoulders. She kept on licking him, flicking her tongue over the delicate skin over the rock-hard shaft. His skin tasted clean and slightly salty, and was smooth under her tongue.

  Eli’s hot tongue slipped between her folds, and then it was Paisley’s turn to gasp. Electric bliss crackled up and down her spine as he caressed and teased her with his tongue, and she caressed and teased Jackson with hers. The three of them were locked into a circuit of pleasure, giving and getting and giving in return.

  “Paisley, I—” Jackson gasped. “I— Should I—”

  He was thrusting faster into her mouth, and she knew he was trying to ask her if he should pull out before he came. Paisley grabbed his hips, holding him in place, and looked up at his face. She wanted to see what he looked like when he came.

  As liquid heat spurted into her mouth, she watched Jackson’s intent expression melt into a joyous look, as if he was on the verge of laughing. It made her want to grin too.

  Of course, Paisley thought. Of course that’s what it’s like for him. That’s so Jackson.

  She swallowed, then let him slide out of her mouth. Jackson lay down beside her, bonelessly relaxed as a cat drowsing in the sun, and draped his arms around her chest.

  Eli lifted his head and licked his lips.

  Like a cat finishing off a saucer of cream, Paisley thought, then smiled at her own metaphors. I’m rubbing off on them.

  “I could keep going, if you want,” Eli said, his voice rough and low. “But I think I might lose my mind.”

  “Now you know how I felt,” Paisley replied. She lifted a languid hand to beckon him upward. “Come here.”

  Jackson scooped her into his arms and straightened up, so he sat with the pillows against his back. Paisley reclined with her back against his chest and her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder. It fit as if they’d both been designed for exactly that.

  Jackson put his arms around her, holding her close. Eli knelt over her, his blue eyes hot with desire, his skin flushed, his erection huge and hard as steel. She clasped her hands around his back as he slid into her. She opened easily to him, soaking wet and ready.

  Jackson held her, kissing her neck and shoulders, as Eli moved inside her. He pushed her against Jackson with every thrust. Sweat was slippery between their bodies. All three of them were breathing hard and rhythmically, on the same pattern. Paisley imagined that even their hearts were beating as one.

  She wanted it to last forever, but the waves of pleasure grew more and more intense, sending her quickly to the brink of climax. Paisley grasped for control, trying to hold back against the tide. She didn’t want to lose herself before Eli came— she wanted to see what he looked like.

  Not yet, Paisley thought, though every atom of her body was screaming, Now, now, now!

  Her nails dug into Eli’s back as his thrusts grew faster, his head thrown back, his hair falling over his face.

  Not yet—

  Eli’s blue eyes widened and his hands clenched on her shoulders. When Jackson had come, he’d looked like he was about to laugh for sheer joy. But Eli’s face relaxed into utter stillness, untroubled and at peace.

  Now!

  As she felt the hot spurt of his seed inside of her, Paisley abandoned all control. The world shattered into brilliant light. For an instant, she couldn’t tell where she ended and her mates began. They weren’t three separate people, but one soul in three parts, merging into a single bliss.

  She slowly returned to her own body, relaxed and happy. Eli kissed her throat. Jackson kissed her lips. They lifted her between them, moving down to sprawl atop the bed in a comfortable heap. Both men adjusted their positions, instinctively seeking to get even closer to her, and she moved to fit herself to them. Then they lay in a cozy tangle, clasped in each other’s arms.

  Paisley stretched out between her mates, with Eli’s arms around her shoulders and Jackson’s around her waist, and drifted into the most peaceful sleep of her life.

  Epilogue

  Paisley

  Paisley lay comfortably curled up on the couch with her head on Eli’s shoulder and her feet in Jackson’s lap. She tilted her head to get a better view of the big-screen TV. They’d watched the video of Victor Reed ripping off his own armor in terror about thirty times now, but it never got old.

  The news anchor shook her head disapprovingly, and stated, “SmartDefense CEO Victor Reed faces criminal charges for knowingly and recklessly selling a dangerously defective product. The most serious of these charges is second-degree murder for the death of Navy SEAL Ryan Martinez. Meanwhile, SmartDefense stocks continue to plunge.”

  “Come on,” Eli muttered, as the news anchor continued discussing stocks. “What about the Navy?”

  “There’s no way the Navy will keep the contract after this,” Jackson assured him. “No way.”

  “We have breaking news,” exclaimed the anchor. “The US Navy just announced that they’ve canceled their contract with SmartDefense.”

  “Mission accomplished.” Eli clicked off the TV, an amazed smile spreading across his face.

  “We did it.” Jackson sounded like he could hardly believe it. “God knows how many lives we saved.”

  “We won,” Paisley said. “Guys, we won!”

  All three of them broke into spontaneous cheers. Paisley threw her arms in the air and yelled with abandon. Jackson and Eli were shouting too, their deeper voices ringing out and echoing against the walls. Hearing how happy they sounded, Paisley’s heart lifted till it felt light as a cat’s whisker.

  “Now what?” Paisley asked, when they finally stopped yelling.

  “We all stick together,” Eli said.

  “Stick together and do what?” Paisley asked.

  Jackson kissed her cheek. “I want to bring you home to meet my family.”

  “Mine too,” said Eli.

  “Are they going to care that I’m a cat burglar?” Paisley asked doubtfully. “Because I don’t like to lie. That’s a big part of why I don’t like to meet people.”

  “You’re a cat burglar for justice,” Jackson pointed out. “That’s different.”

  Eli shook his head. “Like Jackson said. You’re not a criminal criminal. You’re Robin Hood. They’ll think it’s cool. Especially my younger brothers.”

  “You have younger brothers?” Paisley smiled, not just at the thought of a lot of little Elis running around, but because she liked that she was still learning things about him. There was still so much they didn’t know about each other. And they had all the time in the world to find out.

  “Three of them,” Eli said. “And Jackson has three older sisters.”

  “We’re like this weird reverse matched set,” Jackson said. Excitedly, he added, “My sisters will
love you! My aunts too.”

  “And my uncles,” said Eli. “And my grandparents.”

  “My cousins.”

  “My great-grandma.”

  “My wolverine video gaming buddies.”

  “My old SEAL team.”

  A familiar flicker of wariness rose in Paisley, then faded away. She’d already taken the big plunge in committing herself to the men. Meeting their friends and families didn’t scare her. If they were anything like Eli and Jackson, she’d probably even like them.

  “Sure,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  Both men straightened up, seeming delighted at the idea. Warm happiness washed through her at yet another reminder of how much they cared about her. It was that important to them that she meet their families, and that she wanted to meet them. They’d never force her into anything she didn’t want, and they wanted to share every part of their lives with her.

  “You can finally try the pie at the diner,” Jackson suggested.

  “I’ll take you climbing,” added Eli. “You ever climb a real cliff, Paisley? You’d love it.”

  “It sounds great,” she assured them. “But after I’m done meeting everyone, what then?”

  The three of them looked at each other, and she once again knew that they were all thinking the same thing.

  “I’d hate to give up what I’ve been doing,” Paisley said. “But I’m just one person. I can steal stolen money and give it back to the victims, but I can’t put criminals out of business. I never could have done what the three of us did to SmartDefense.”

  “I’ve always been a bit jealous of what Eli does— did,” Jackson admitted. “I love inventing, but it’s not exactly saving the world. We destroyed SmartDefense, but there’s lots of crooked companies and bad people left. And it seems like we’re good at taking them down.”

  “Hacker, fighter, climber.” Eli indicated Jackson, himself, and Paisley. “We make a great team. Let’s stay a team.”

  Paisley threw one arm around each of her bears, and they both leaned down to kiss her cheeks. She felt the rough tickle of Eli’s stubble and the smoothness of Jackson’s fresh-shaved face, and then the warmth of each man’s lips.