Love Wins Read online

  “Meooow!” Tal’s yowl echoed through the den.

  Oh man. Even I heard the dare in that. Shaking my head, I looked at Dolf, waiting to see what he’d do. Of the three of us, Dolf was the dominant one.

  “Meeer,” Dolf answered calmly and then leaped at the shelf Tal sat on.

  Damn, the power in those hind legs was amazing. Tal scrambled down the walkway, hauling ass. He kept going until he hit the truss system of the log cabin, flying across the logs as if he was just a few feet off the floor instead of fifteen feet, if not more. The first time they did that, I just about had a heart attack.

  Suddenly Tal stopped and spun to face Dolf. Tal arched his back, fluffing up. His fur stood on end, making him appear bigger. Dolf stopped too but didn’t back off. Instead he ignored Tal’s warning as he slowly prowled closer, his bright blue eyes slitted.

  “That never works, pretty kitty,” I called from the couch where I was reclining. “Dolf’s gonna swat that cute little ass of yours if you’re not careful.”

  Our sweet little Omega just didn’t have it in himself to intimidate Dolf. For that matter, neither did I, but I did often stand up to the man. The smartass in me couldn’t help myself. Surprisingly, Dolf was okay with that. Said it kept him from being too arrogant. Which was highly amusing considering Dolf was the heir apparent to the West Falls Clowder. “Arrogant” was his middle name.

  “Meerow.” Tal aimed an indignant sniff in my direction, turned his back to me, and stuck his tail straight up.

  “Yeah, Tal, I’ll take you up on that offer just as soon as you’re human,” I called from the couch.

  “Rawl!” Dolf bellowed in agreement.

  Laughing, I watched them race down the truss system to the shelves and on down to the floor. Tal ran at me, jumped on the couch, and straight onto my lap.

  “Oof! And how did I know you’d end up here?” I found myself with a lap full of white cat. “Watch the claws, babe.” Jesus, the last thing I needed was him to sink his claws somewhere important.

  Seconds later, Dolf launched himself at me too, and sure enough, I ended up with over sixty pounds of feline sitting on me. Dolf and Tal were the size of Savannahs, but since they were werecats, they were bigger. They were big, big cats and heavy. Both of them put out an ungodly amount of heat also.

  Dolf licked my cheek.

  “What have I told you about taste-testing me?”

  “Meer!” Dolf purred, then head-butted my cheek. Meanwhile Tal kneaded my thigh, rumbling softly. I ran my hands over Tal and Dolf, enjoying their silky fur.

  “Are we done or….” The flashing lights of the tree caught Tal’s attention, and he was off again. “Oookay, guess not.”

  Dolf grunted in Tal’s direction and jumped off me. He raced across the top of the coffee table and headed straight toward the twinkling Christmas tree. Oh man, I knew it. It was more than their little kitty natures could handle.

  “Okay, you two, you break any of those ornaments and I’m not gonna be happy,” I said.

  Tal landed on one of the few brightly wrapped gifts we hadn’t yet opened. He eyed the tree as if getting ready to climb it, but the paper the gift was wrapped in made a funny crinkling sound. I snorted as the sound distracted him.

  Tal’s head whipped around. Dolf jumped on the gift next to Tal and swatted the large red bow. They took turns annihilating it until there was nothing but shredded ribbons left. Dumb me had ornaments hung on the lower branches. The temptation was too great. Dolf flopped over onto his back and grasped one, holding it in his front paws while his back paws kicked madly.

  “Dolf,” I yelled. “That falls under ‘breaking the ornaments not gonna make me happy’!”

  “Meeeeow!”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Meow all you want, but you heard me.” Although I had no idea what they said when they meowed at me, both of them had told me they could understand human speech even in their shifted form.

  After destroying several more bows and clearing off any ornaments on the bottom limbs, Tal launched himself up the tree. A flash of black, and there went Dolf too. Damn good thing the tree was ten feet tall and the ornaments weren’t glass.

  Yeah, I’d had a feeling.

  The tree shook. I caught a flash of blue eyes as they climbed. Ornaments swayed. Tree limbs trembled under the weight of two determined werecats. A yowl sounded from the tree, but I couldn’t tell which one of them it was.

  In fact, Tal was hard to see since he faded into the white background of the tree, but the sparkly ornament a white paw was batting at was a good clue of how high he’d made it. His sharp claws clanked against the metal of the ornament. A few seconds later, a black paw joined in on the antics. The two of them took turns swatting at it until it finally flew across the room and landed at my feet.

  “Seriously?” I leaned over and picked the star-shaped ornament off the floor.

  Dolf and Tal continued climbing around in the tree, batting ornaments and chasing the blinking lights. They were the funniest things I’d ever seen. Suddenly the tree became still and my werecat mates went silent. Oh shit, that wasn’t a good sign. They were like kids. I’d learned a sudden silence meant they were up to no good.

  There was a rush as two furry bodies flew down the tree. Tal landed on the same gift as before—poor gift was taking a beating—yowled at me, and went after the red tinsel I’d draped on the tree. God help me, what had I been thinking? And wow, he was having entirely too much fun fighting the stuff.

  Somehow he’d managed to get it wrapped all around him. Fortunately I hadn’t threaded the tinsel between the limbs, just mostly draped it on the tree. It came off with no problem, raining down on Tal and winding its way around his head.

  The red tinsel was a sharp contrast against Tal’s white fur. And, of course, Dolf helped out by hooking the tinsel with his claws and pulling… which meant he ended up dragging them off the gift they’d been sitting on. The tree shuddered, and I held my breath, but it stayed upright as the two of them hit the floor.

  For the next several minutes, there was hissing and annoyed mewls as Dolf and Tal discussed the situation. Once they settled it to their satisfaction, back up the tree they went. The two of them played for another fifteen minutes or so while I watched. A few more shiny, colored balls fell off, and tinsel lay in shreds on the floor, but the tree remained standing.

  Somehow.

  While I enjoyed seeing Dolf and Tal in their shifted forms, I was ready to move this night along. I had plans for my mates, and I needed them in their human forms. I stood up and unbuttoned my shirt. The yowling and hissing from the tree abruptly stopped, and two pairs of bright blue eyes peering out from the branches focused on me.

  Seeing that I had their attention, I let the gaping shirt slide off and fall to the floor. I ran my hands up and down my chest, making sure my fingers brushed my nipples. Was that purring I heard? After toeing off my shoes, I made sure my ass faced the tree when I unbuttoned my jeans and dropped them.

  Then I bent over and pulled off my socks.

  Yup, that was a pleased meow I heard behind me. Turning back around, I noticed one of the tree limbs shaking as a streak of black made its way down. I couldn’t see Tal, but I bet he was on his way down too. Deciding to give them more incentive, I fisted my cock. I’d gone commando. Before I could say “here, kitty, kitty,” my two gorgeous mates had shifted and were sitting naked by the tree.

  Tal’s long, white-blond hair fell over his shoulder and partway down his chest. As he rested one elbow on his bent knee, his rosy, hard cock jutted out from between his thighs. Dolf sat crossed-legged, his shaft standing up too. His black hair was messy, flopping over his forehead and into those bright blue eyes. Both of them were long and lean with swimmers’ builds… and so sexy they made my mouth water.

  Merry Christmas to me.

  After walking over to the fireplace, I knelt on the fur rug. Dolf and Tal rose gracefully to their feet and came to stand in front of me. Both their cocks were nice and long,
but Dolf had about a half-inch on Tal. But then, Tal was a bit thicker. My cock bobbed eagerly as I grabbed Dolf by the hips and pulled him closer. I couldn’t wait to get my mouth on that hard dick, so teasingly close.

  I nibbled around the crown. Precome glistened at the tip, the salty taste exploding on my tongue. I licked my lips. Dolf’s taste was a little more tart than Tal’s, just as the man was. Lifting his shaft, I tongued the thick vein that ran the length. Dolf grabbed my hair and tugged me closer, forcing me to wince.

  The slight spark of pain raced down my body and ended at my shaft. He knew I liked a little pain, and he liked giving it to me. Clutching his hips, I dropped my mouth over his dick. Silken steel and heat. He was so hard against my tongue.

  “Mmm, so good, sexy,” Dolf mumbled.

  I glanced up at him. Steel and heat described the man too.

  “Yeah, just like that,” Dolf muttered. “Let me see those eyes while I fuck that mouth.”

  He tangled his fingers in my hair, urging me to take more, to go faster. Dolf threw his head back, the cords in his throat standing out. Grabbing both his ass cheeks, I pulled him closer. Dolf hissed, and I caught the flash of a fang as pleasure drove him.

  “I want in here, please, Kirk. Gods.” Tal caressed my ass, his fingers cool and slick. Wonder when he got lube? Closing my eyes, I moaned around Dolf’s shaft and the vibrations caused Dolf to moan too.

  Dolf tapped my cheek, and I pulled off his cock, albeit very slowly. “What?” I whined, his shaft still bobbing right in front of my face. “I was busy, you know.”

  Dolf tapped his cock against my lips, smearing precome. “Be good and I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. But first, hands and knees.”

  I couldn’t get there fast enough, even knowing the angle wasn’t going to be comfortable. But before I could say anything, Dolf sat on the furry rug and lay back. Oh yeah, now that I could work with. Dolf grasped his cock and spread his legs. I fully intended to get back to that, but first… I grasped Dolf’s ankle and lifted it.

  “Fuck, yeah.” Dolf watched me.

  Dolf sighed softly as I rubbed the arch of his foot against my cheek, then nipped one of his toes. His cock jerked on his belly. My foot fetish made this male, who didn’t care to take a passive role, absolutely crazy, even if he wasn’t in the mood to bottom. I was relieved since so many of the other guys I’d hooked up with laughed at me for it.

  It didn’t do much for Tal except make him giggle. I licked and nibbled on Dolf’s long toes, enjoying his grunts of pleasure. His slim ankles called to me, and I placed kisses there too. God, I loved this male.

  “Keep that up and I’m going to come, sexy,” Dolf warned.

  I kissed his instep. “Well, can’t have that.”

  Tal patted my ass. “Bend over please, Kirk. I need to open you up.”

  I kissed my way back up Dolf’s hairy leg until I found my other source of pleasure. Tal worked one slick finger in me, then another as I nuzzled Dolf’s shaft. A brief flash of pain was a small price to pay, and I liked it. Tal hit my hot spot and pleasure stabbed me.

  I thrust back, wanting more, at the same time sucking Dolf’s cock down while Tal slicked me up. Thank goodness we’d taken to keeping lube all over the house. I sucked Dolf’s cock down while Tal slicked me up. My sweet Tal eased his way inside, stroking his hands over my lower back. Tal thrust slowly, then moved faster as I moved with him. God, I loved this man too. He was always so caring when he took me.

  I glanced up at Dolf, watching the pleasure I brought him flash over his face. The three of us moved together, each giving and taking. The lights flashed from our Christmas tree, and the fire cast a warm glow over the den.

  Our love blanketed us as skin slapped on skin. Tal’s shaft tapped my hot spot repeatedly, pushing me ever closer to orgasm. My dick bounced, and I knew I was close to coming, even without any friction on my poor, needy dick. I deep-throated Dolf as Tal slammed inside… then my toes curled, and I came.

  Yup, angels sang, and I even heard two strangled yowls as my mates came.

  For a few moments, we lay there holding each other while the fire crackled. I never thought I would find a love like this. I certainly never dreamed that the two people who would mean so much to me wouldn’t be human.

  There was no denying the past year hadn’t been easy. Small-minded attitudes of certain clowder members warned that things wouldn’t miraculously get better either. There were changes coming; I could feel it in the air. I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of those changes would be painful too.

  Tomorrow was Christmas Day, but we didn’t have plans outside of just lazing around and opening our remaining gifts. I’d bought Tal a crazy-ass expensive tool he’d been wanting and a brand-new tool belt that I’d had handmade for him. I fully intended to have him model it… with nothing else on.

  For Dolf I got an alabaster cosmetic jar, topped with a lioness, representing Bast. It was a reproduction of the original eighteenth dynasty burial artifact from the tomb of Tutankhamun. I didn’t know how accurate it was, but I figured Dolf would get a kick out of it.

  Tal yawned and cuddled closer. I wrapped my arm around him and rested my head on Dolf’s shoulder. Between the heat they put off and the warmth from the fire, I was toasty warm. Content.

  There would be time enough later to deal with clowder issues and the day-to-day life of living in a triad. For now I had my two mates close to me, warm and happy. What more could a guy ask for?

  M.A. CHURCH is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full-time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

  When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.

  She was a finalist in the Rainbow Awards for 2013 and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Rainbow Romance Writers, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

  Contact M.A.:

  Blog: machurch00.blogspot.com

  Twitter: @nomoretears00

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Church/173797619379487

  The Harvest FB fan page: www.facebook.com/#!/theharvest00

  Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141393.M_A_Church

  Amazon: www.amazon.com/M.A.-Church/e/B007A8JA4C/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

  E-mail: [email protected]

  A Chance for Hope

  By Deja Black

  In the aftermath of tragedy, freelance writer Brad Truscott is drawn to ease Paul Bachman’s grief. But will Paul ever be ready to take another chance on happiness?

  I.

  BRAD HOVERED off to the side, watching the burial of one of the victims at Greenwood Cemetery. He’d agreed to do the profile of the families left behind as soon as the job showed up on his screen.

  The summer heat in June was typical of Orlando, the near ninety degrees stifling. The sun many vacationers enjoyed took its toll on the mourners.

  Gavriel Bachman’s burial, Jewish proceedings, husband and family at the site, he wrote. He watched as the rabbi spoke. The mourners rose, the prayer complete.

  Paul Bachman, the victim’s husband, stood, his movements unsteady, but even from where Brad observed, he could tell the man was determined to do… something. The guy stepped toward the victim’s mother, Adina Bachman, and the victim’s uncle, Eli Kaufman. He reached out a hand, spoke, but before he could make contact, the uncle stepped between the husband and the victim’s mother.

  “Shit,” Brad whispered.

  Husband attempts to connect with the mother. Denied, he wrote. He would write more later, of
course, get the atmosphere, the gawkers around the site. Hell, he supposed that would include him if he thought about it. He wasn’t the only one out here. There were cameramen hidden, the family’s request for no visible cameras honored, but what fool wanted to miss the first shots?

  If he had a camera present, he’d be snapping photos of the way Paul’s walnut brown face crumpled the moment the uncle ground out his words to him. He would even get the family turning away, the large man’s hand at the old woman’s back. From the way the light was hitting the coffin, it had to be a good photo op too. The thing was a sparkler and probably set the family back a pretty penny.

  He didn’t do pictures, though. He did the writing. The magazine would secure the photos to accompany the piece. His job? Take notes, write the story. Pick up his check.

  The husband looks around, notices the people standing at a distance. He almost wrote that the husband saw him. There was a moment, short, but damn if it hadn’t made an impact. The guy just stared at him, the blaze from that look palpable. But before Brad could do—what? Go to him? Whatever it was that almost made him put his notebook away, it was gone when the man turned back to the grave.

  Damn. Brad had felt something. But who wouldn’t? Death had a tendency to bring unknowns together, and something of this caliber, where so many lives were lost? Anyone would be shaken.

  Brad pulled out his notebook, sighed, and continued to write.

  Husband picks up a flower, a rose. Yellow? Picking up his phone, he googled the significance of the yellow rose.

  “Okay, why the yellow rose? You’re supposed to use red, right?” He scanned the web page. Red. Right. But he remembered the yellow ribbons people tied to support troops, for MIA/POW, and as a symbol of hope. That would be great to add to his profile. Instead of a ribbon, there’s a yellow rose, a symbol of hope? It works. Brad jotted that down too, wincing when he heard a camera go off.