Against her better judgment, she sat, landing hard.
"I can see why you'd think along those lines, having witnessed both Lindsey's and Kara's claimings, but keep in mind they are both human. It's not the same for wolves. You've met my sister, Tessa. That is not a woman living under the thumb of her husband, by any stretch of the imagination." Charles shuddered. "Tessa says you're a fantastic teacher and Miranda adores you. We wouldn't dream of taking that away from you. We just want to … add to your life, and ours."
"Riight," she drawled. "That's why neither of my educated friends are teaching, using their degrees, and both of them spend their days conforming to the needs of their mates." This conversation was so irrelevant and not at all the root of her problems, but she'd let them continue this line because it worked in her favor.
Reese plopped on the other side of Jessica, crowding her between the men. "Kara and Lindsey are living a life they chose. No one is forcing them to do anything. I've met them. They're the happiest groups of people I've ever known. It's a tough adjustment at first when you're human and this unknown world is sprung on you. It's not the same for you, Jess. Right now, you're only dealing with the pull of your body to mate with us. It isn't compounded by the influx of information about the existence of our species or the inability to comprehend what's happening to your body."
No. Not compounded by anything at all. If her thoughts could bleed sarcasm, she wouldn't need to roll her eyes at these mates of hers. She shivered when she realized what could happen to the ideas that ran through her head. If she let these two men claim her, she'd never have a thought she could keep to herself for the rest of her life.
Charles drew her attention his way. "I think there's more to it than you're saying."
No shit. But Jessica flinched. The last thing she needed was for them to delve any deeper into her life. She shook her head and bit into her lower lip until the pain forced her to let go.
"Uh-huh. Fine. Whatever it is, we'll work it out as we go along," Charles continued. He leaned in gradually until his nose nestled in the crook of her neck. His breath brushed her skin, and his lips nibbled behind her ear. Warmth spread down her arms. It felt so fucking good. So perfect. So right. And before Jessica could stop herself, she relaxed her shoulders and leaned in to his touch.
Her nipples strained against the material of her bra, making her wish she hadn't chosen lace today of all days.
Her eyes fluttered shut as Charles cupped her jaw with his hand. The legs she was squeezing together relaxed like jelly at the same time another hand, probably Reese's, landed on her knee and gripped.
Bombarded with sensations never before experienced, Jessica sensed every neuron in her body firing at once, sending fireworks from her brain to every limb and her torso. She had no control over her movements, her synapses shooting messages everywhere at once.
When Charles nibbled his way around to claim her mouth, Reese lifted her hand and kissed each finger, lingering leisurely at each one to flick it with his tongue.
Charles wiped her mind of all thoughts when he devoured her lips, angling himself around her until she was smashed into the couch, crowded beyond belief. His kiss was anxious, demanding, a rapid fire of insistence leaning left and then right as though he were starving. When he swiped his tongue over the seam of her lips, pressing between them for entrance, a moan filled the air. Was it hers?
He tasted faintly of mint with an underlying hint of his own spice. As he explored every crevice of her mouth, his hand lowered to land on her shoulder, his thumb sliding delicately over her collarbone, his palm brushing against the upper swell of her breast.
Jessica arched into him, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke now. She ached all over for more contact, her body demanding to feel and be felt.
While Charles tasted every inch of her mouth, Reese managed to graze his lips up her arm. Even through the material of her long-sleeved shirt, she could appreciate the warmth of his breath and the heat that seeped into her skin and traveled up her arm and down her torso to meet with all the other heat gathering at her sex.
When Reese reached her shoulder and bumped hands with Charles, there was a flurry of movement. Charles pressed her into the couch, seeming to enter her mouth even deeper, sucking the life out of her until the world spun. In moments, Reese was on the ground in front of her, spreading her legs apart, his hands traveling up her thighs until they landed on her waist. She couldn't see him from this angle, but there was no mistaking his location.
Needing more contact like a hiker needs water in the desert, Jessica arched again, squeezing her eyes tighter. If she didn't look, she could almost pretend this was a dream. God, her pussy was in front of Reese's face. He leaned against her frame and shoved her shirt up several inches until both warm hands held her around the middle, and his lips licked, teased, tasted, and tortured her belly.
Oh my God! She was going to come, explode beneath these two men driving her to the brink of insanity.
Her hands, which had been lying limply at her sides, came to life, and Jessica grabbed Reese's head, unsure whether her aim was to pull him closer toward her, push him toward the opening between her legs, or push him away. She just squeezed. And then moaned so loud it yanked her out of this trance.
Jess jerked her face loose from Charles and leaned to one side to gasp for air. Her senses did not return to normal. Her body burned, a tingly sensation creeping up her arms and legs as though they were asleep. Probably they were since all the blood in her body was making her clit pulse with need.
She gripped the couch at her sides and squirmed beneath the hands roaming over her body. Were there more than just four? Every inch of her fell to the exquisite assault of palms on her thighs, her arms, her shoulders, and finally her breasts, weighed and massaged through her clothes.
The two hands on her thighs pressed them wider, and then a palm landed at the apex of her legs, applying undefined pressure to her clit, sending her over the edge into a state of bliss. "Oh God." Her head rolled from side to side, and she pulsed against Reese's hand, her pussy straining. She rode the wave of her orgasm for several minutes before it subsided, leaving her limp.
"God, honey. That's so hot." Reese's voice broke into her haze of awareness. His mouth hovered against her belly, hot air blowing over her sensitive skin as he spoke. "You're amazing. I could watch you come like that every day for the rest of my life and never be sorry."
"That's for sure." Charles resumed his initial position, nibbling around her ear.
Instead of feeling supremely content, Jessica wanted more. After a few deep breaths, her eyes flew open. She glanced from one man to the other, realizing suddenly what she'd done. Where she was.
Two sexy men smiled at her. Her expression must have registered shock, and her mouth hung open because both Reese and Charles had a half grin. Reese still held her firmly by the waist-at least he'd let go of her crotch.
Charles' lips were inches from her own. "Do you still want to run from this?" He lifted a corner of his mouth in a wry smile.
As she stared at him, she became aware of two things: one, the room was so silent the only sounds were two wolves breathing so heavy they might as well have just run to her apartment; and two, their chests heaved under the exertion of that presumed run.
They squirmed and then leaned away. At the last second, Charles lifted Jessica off the couch and turned toward the hall, cradling her frame against his chest, still kissing her forehead as he walked. "Bedroom?" His eyebrows rose, and he nodded in the direction of the hall.
What? What?
Jessica shook herself and wiggled in Charles' grasp. "God. Put me down." When he didn't comply fast enough, she arched and pushed her hands against his shoulders. "Charles!"
As if coming out of a trance, the man complied, stopping dead in his tracks. He loosened his hold on her until she slid to the ground.
Reese ran into the two of them at the abrupt stop. "What's the matter?" Concern etched his face. He glanced up and down as if searching for some injury. "Are you okay?"
Deep breaths. Jess leaned against the wall of the hallway, wishing she could slip through the paint and drywall and land on the other side, putting distance between this ridiculous distraction and her good senses.
"What the hell are we doing?" she muttered. "I can't sleep with you two." She shook her head to emphasize her words, especially in view of the two men staring at her from above with blank expressions.