Pandemonium by R.E. Butler
Chapter Seven
By the time Rhaider polished off the mile-high chocolate pie, he was stuffed and half in love with Demi. She was candid about her family and life, including getting stalked relentlessly by an alpha lion.
“He hasn’t shown up in a while, though, or sent me flowers or tried to contact me, so I hope he’s decided to leave me alone. He was so crazy insistent before, and then he just kind of dropped off the planet.”
“Well, he’ll definitely be staying away from you now,” Rhaider said.
His bear wanted to find the male and beat him within an inch of his life and ensure he never even thought of her, let alone contacted her.
“I hope I don’t have to deal with him at all, but if I do, I’m glad that you two are with me.”
“One hundred percent,” Rafe said.
The bill appeared and Rhaider grabbed it and slid from the booth. He walked to the register and smiled at Connie. “Can I get a piece of three-berry pie to go?”
“Of course,” she said. She added it onto the bill, and Rhaider paid, leaving a generous tip. By the time she returned with a piece of pie in a Styrofoam container, Rafe and Demi were walking toward him.
“What’s this?” Demi asked. “We didn’t have leftovers.”
“Pie for later,” Rhaider said.
“Oh, you’re so sweet. Thanks, Connie. It was all delish.”
“You’re welcome, hon. Nice to meet you boys. Take care.”
“You too,” Rhaider said.
Rafe grabbed the door and they returned to her car.
He didn’t want to push her about the rest of the night one way or another, so he didn’t say anything and waited for her to speak.
She fisted the car keys and said, “I’d like you to come home with me if you want. But I just…want to sleep. I’m honestly exhausted from chasing kids around all day, and I want to give you my best when we do eventually…you know.”
Rhaider cupped her face and kissed her. “You’re so adorable. That works for us.”
He released her and Rafe gave her a quick kiss too.
“I didn’t want to leave you tonight, but I didn’t want you to think that we’re only after one thing. You’re our heart-match and that means we’re in for the long haul.”
“Right,” Rhaider said. “Whatever happens between us isn’t on a schedule.”
“I appreciate that,” she said. “I don’t want to be away from you both tonight.”
“Then we won’t be,” Rafe said.
They got in the car, Rafe taking his turn to be squished in the back. It took only a few minutes to reach her home. There was a small car and a truck on one side of the driveway. Demi parked next to the truck and led them up the steps to the small, wooden porch and unlocked the door.
“Home sweet home,” she said. “Come on in.”
They walked into the family room, where a plush couch and coffee table sat in front of an electric fireplace and a flat screen hanging on the wall. She turned on the overhead light and placed her bag on a hook by the door. “Hemi moved out first,” she said as she showed them the kitchen. She took bottled waters from the fridge and offered them to them. “He had a little studio apartment outside of town but he didn’t like being away from the pride. We don’t have to live in the territory, but most prefer it. Then he found this place and asked if I wanted to join him. Our parents didn’t want me out of the house—they thought that I should stay home until I got mate-matched, but since I wasn’t going to do that, I hopped right out of the house and into this one.”
“It’s nice,” Rafe said.
“Well, it’s small,” she said. “It was good for me, or a couple like Hemi and Annie, but now…”
She trailed off and Rhaider glanced at his brother. “How many bedrooms?” he asked.
“Two. One is really tiny, though.”
She looked like she was thinking too hard about their living situation, and Rhaider didn’t want her to be worried about anything at all. “Let’s see where you sleep and then I gotta be honest, I’m dead on my feet.”
Demi smiled sweetly at him and led them down a short hall. The master bedroom, which was not what he’d actually call the room where she slept, was just large enough for the full-sized bed and a tall dresser. The only bathroom in the place was across the hall. There was a laundry closet down the hall across from the other bedroom, so at least she didn’t have to go to a Laundromat.
“Let me wash my face and then I’ll be ready for bed,” she said.
She grabbed clothes out of the second dresser drawer and hurried across the hall. When the door was shut, Rafe let out a sigh as he looked at the bed.
“This is…not ideal,” Rafe said.
“It’ll be fine,” Rhaider said. “Just means we get to snuggle up even closer to her.”
“Good point,” Rafe said, grinning. “Plus, I’d sleep on nails to be with her, so a too-small bed is much better than that.”
When Demi came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a tank, her face pink and clean, Rhaider thought she looked even more beautiful than she had at the bar. “Sorry the bed’s on the small side,” she said. “I don’t let, well, I haven’t ever let anyone stay the night with me, so it never mattered if the bed was big enough for more than just me.”
His beast growled happily to know they were the first to stay all night.
“Jeans on or off?” Rafe asked.
“Whatever makes you more comfortable,” she said. She tossed the covers back and climbed into the middle of the bed, giving them a view of her cute butt. She adjusted the pillows so there were three spread out, and then patted the spaces next to her with a small smile.
Rhaider tugged off his shirt, toed off his shoes, and dropped his jeans, leaving himself in boxer briefs. His brother followed suit.
As he was climbing into bed next to Demi, he noticed her gaze had dropped pretty low on his body.
About crotch level.
“Hey, lady, my eyes are up here,” he teased.
Her gaze snapped up to his and she grinned. She didn’t even blush when she said, “You know you’re hot.”
Settling next to her, he rolled to his side and went up on one elbow. Rafe was on her other side. She scooted down under the light blanket on her back and looked at him.
“You’re very beautiful,” Rhaider said. “I think we’re the luckiest males on the planet.”
“Fact,” Rafe said.
“I’m feeling pretty damn lucky myself.”
She reached for him and Rhaider went willingly for their first and very important kiss. Not the chaste cheek kisses and little brushes across her plump lips, but a real kiss. The sort that crawled down his body with spine-tingling pleasure and made his beast rise onto his hind legs and bellow out a happy growl. Their mouths opened and their tongues slid together and every nerve ending went full tilt. His world narrowed down to the beautiful female in his arms.
She was his heart-match.
The one female on the planet meant for him.
He’d do anything to keep her safe and keep her forever.
Kill. Maim. Whatever the hell it took.
They’d only been together a few hours, but his heart felt like he’d been with her forever.
Before his itching fingers decided to try to figure out if she was wearing anything under her little shorts, he pulled from the kiss.
Breathing hard, like he’d just run a marathon and not kissed his mate, he scrubbed a hand through his hair and watched as her eyes turned from a stunning gold to brown. She was so beautiful. So very much his.
“My turn,” Rafe said.
“Yes please,” Demi said, practically purring the word.
Rhaider dropped back onto the pillow and grinned.
He was in bed with the female he and his brother had left their home and clan to find. They weren’t mated yet, but it would come in time.
Now he just needed to figure out a kickass first date to take her on and plan lots of ways to romance her so she’d know just how important she was to them.
The whole damn center of his universe.
He heard their kiss end.
“I have a question,” Demi said as she wiggled to her back and looked at them.
“Ask away, we’re open books,” Rhaider said.
“What’s it going to be like? I’ve never been with two guys at the same time before. My lioness is entirely on board with it, she wants you both so much. But I don’t know the logistics, or how things will happen.”
Rafe looked at Rhaider and then at Demi. “I don’t think there’s a right and wrong way to go about the physical aspects of our relationship, but it will take some time to get used to things, even for us. We’ve had years to imagine what it’s going to be like to be with you. For you, it’s all new.”
Rhaider brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “For our first time together, we’d want to both be with you at the same time. I can picture you using your sexy mouth on one of us while you’re making love to the other. And then after that?” He shrugged. “Threesomes or couples, it’s whatever works for us.”
“The good news,” Rafe said, taking her other hand, “is that you get two males focused on bringing you pleasure instead of just one.”
Her eyes grew darker. “I like that.”
Rhaider liked that a hell of a lot too. “You’re the most important female to us. As we get to know each other, we’ll learn what works for us as a trio so that everyone is happy.”
“You’re important to me too. Both of you.”
Demi took her hand from Rhaider’s and covered her mouth as she yawned. “I want to keep talking, but I’m about to pass out.”
Rhaider leaned over and kissed her. “Then sleep, Demi. Sweet dreams.”
“Night,” she said.
Rafe kissed her and whispered good night.
She rolled to her side and Rhaider curled against her back, resting his hand on her stomach. He stifled a yawn and then said goodnight to his brother.
He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have his beautiful mate in his arms.
He’d never been happier.
