Claiming Lori Read online

  “Still think she won’t go for it?” Jack was mocking him, but this was one of the rare times Michael didn’t mind at all. He was thankful he’d been dead wrong.

  “I think I need to get my ass in gear.” Michael knew Jackson was skirting the edge of control, as was Alex. He needed to get his ass back before Lori sat down to her first cup of coffee.

  He could only imagine what was going to happen today, but he didn’t want to miss any of it. Lori was going to hit the roof, come back down, then hit the roof again. There wasn’t a thing sexier than Lori all pissed off and loaded for bear. He couldn’t wait to see all that passion directed toward something other than arguing with them. It was going to be an explosive day, and Michael was eager to see it through.

  Chapter Three

  “You know she’s going to try to kill us first. You do realize that, right?”

  Alex hadn’t really asked him a question, so Jackson didn’t answer him. He was well aware what they were up against. Lori was headstrong and stubborn as all get out, but in the end she wanted them -- all of them. If he wasn’t sure of it, he would’ve never suggested such a crazy thing as sharing a woman, really sharing her with his brothers. This wasn’t about sex, though Lori would jump to that conclusion once they actually convinced her they were for real. This was about finding that one woman who completed them, the one woman who could make them all happy and complete.

  “You better have that coffee ready,” Jackson suggested, walking over to the bed and lounging back to wait. “You know how she is before coffee in the morning.”

  Alex retreated, mumbling as he went, leaving Jack to his thoughts. They were taking a huge risk; there was a possibility they could lose Lori forever, but he really didn’t think so. He just had to make sure he handled this right.

  “What are you doing still in my room?”

  He had to smile at the picture Lori made, pretending to be mad while swathed in the bathrobe she’d taken from him. She was always doing things like coming over and “borrowing” their clothes. Usually they never saw the item in question again unless they happened to glimpse her wearing it. In so many ways she was already a wife to each brother, albeit in different ways. She cooked for them all from time to time. For Alex, she listened to his outrageous stories, laughing as if he were the funniest man on earth. The two of them shared secrets, often laughing at private jokes no one else got.

  For Michael, Lori bolstered his confidence. She was always his biggest cheerleader, egging him on when he needed it. She brought him out of his shell without his even realizing it. She’d been doing it forever too; Jack was convinced Mike would have never entered the Academy had it not been for Lori’s constant pushing. Turned out Mike was one hell of a firefighter, and all it had taken was Lori’s encouragement.

  “Waiting for you, brat.” Holding up her jar of body cream, he sent her a rare smile, one he knew would get her a little excited. He had noticed it when she turned twenty, though he spent a couple of years trying like hell to deny the look he saw whenever he sent her a crooked little smile. “Come on, let me help you lotion up.”

  She didn’t argue with him, but he’d known she wouldn’t. Taking her little foot in his hand, he pretended to be engrossed in massaging the cream into her foot. This wasn’t the first time he’d performed the task, though usually it was only her feet, maybe her back. This time, Jack had no intention of stopping there.

  “I’m still pissed at you.” Her voice sounded sullen, but she was faking that too. Lori was confused and unsure whether or not to trust her memories of the night before. She often fell back on a show of pure battiness when she didn’t want to face up to something. “And I want to know why the hell you guys would say something like -- well, like you did? And why was Michael in my bed this morning?”

  “We said it because we meant it.” Although he answered her evenly, without equivocation, he didn’t look up at her. He couldn’t. Big, bad Black Jack, as she loved to call him, was scared. This was the biggest thing he had ever taken on in his life, the only one that mattered, and he was dragging his brothers into it with him. “We want you, Lori. Badly. We want to love you and take care of you, protect you and make you the happiest woman in the world.”

  “Stop mocking me, Jackson!” Lori tried to jerk her leg away from him, but there was no way he was letting go. “This is a load of crap, and you know it! You have never shown the least bit of interest in me, not ever. Alex and Michael, I can believe, but there is no way this is real. And fuck you for… for…”

  He looked up then, completely unprepared for what he saw. He’d seen Lori defiant, unsure, pissy, bratty and even horny. But there had only been one other time he’d seen her this vulnerable, this unsure of herself. That was when she was all of twelve and had just lost her mother. She’d tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but there had been a fragility about her that forever implanted her in his heart. He swore he never wanted to see her like that again, and now look what he’d done. Hell, this was the last thing he’d expected.

  “For what, Lori?” Jack slid his hand up her leg, tugging her until she tumbled into his lap. “Tell me, baby, what do you think I’m doing?”

  “Playing with my emotions?” God, she looked so forlorn and lost, it broke his heart. His own little force of nature looked like she might cry, and that was something Lori just didn’t do if she could help it.

  “I wouldn’t do that, and you know it. Don’t you?”

  Jack had been more than a little pissed when he’d walked in and saw Michael dangerously close to forgetting their promise not to get intimate in any way without all brothers being present, yet here he was, so fucking tempted to do the same. Her lips weren’t more than an inch away from his, and the robe she wore was gaping, daring him to look down. He wanted to. God, how he wanted to.

  Luckily, Alex stepped in to defuse a dangerously hot situation. “Here, drink some coffee.”

  Jack wasn’t sure if he should thank Alex or hit him for his timely interruption. Even though his baby brother pressed a mug of steamy hot liquid into Lori’s small hand, Jack didn’t allow her to get up out of his lap. Alex looked at him in question, but Jack couldn’t give him an answer, not one that would make any sense.

  They had waited too long. They were walking the edge between a happy life and losing her forever, and Jack knew if they didn’t strike now, they would lose her. Thankfully Alex was perceptive, saying nothing, but standing by as Lori drank her morning elixir. Michael came in about halfway through, took a hint from the silence in the room and went to stand on the other side of her. The tension was painfully thick, an aura of expectation hovering in the air.

  She had to feel it. There were three large, very interested men hovering around her; she had to feel what was going on. Yet, once she had downed the coffee, she seemed to collect herself, throwing a very large, completely false smile around at them all.

  Chapter Four

  Waiting for Lori to drink her coffee was hellish for all of them. Michael had returned, looking like a wet panther ready to pounce, and Jackson refused to move from her side on the bed, gazing at her with the hunger they all felt. Alex felt just as ready and intense as his brothers, but he could also clearly see the fear Lori was trying so hard to hide. She wasn’t afraid of the three of them; she knew them too well for that. She was scared of her own reaction to what they wanted.

  Hell, what decent woman wouldn’t be? Three guys asking for one woman to be theirs -- collectively. It was no small thing. Alex would’ve been against it if he hadn’t known his brothers and Lori so well. She was scared, but she was excited. For one thing, she hadn’t bothered to put on clothes, which gave them all an excellent view of the way her nipples were poking out against her robe. The room was quite cozy, and she was drinking hot coffee, so he knew she wasn’t cold.

  Alex watched her as she tried to hide the fact that she studied them from under those long lashes of hers. Those things were weapons, and man, did she know how to use them. Maybe it was subco
nscious on her part, but she kept peeking out at each man, studying them. It was as if she had yet to make up her mind what she would do with the three of them, and was afraid to examine her feelings too closely. Then, her eyes lingered on each crotch. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes snapped up to meet his. He supposed that, on some level, the little minx was all too aware of what she did to each one of them, but there was still that innocent girl they’d all fallen in love with playing close to the surface. Now, it was up to him and his brothers to bring out the woman.

  To top it off, there was the little matter of her thighs. While Lori had a feminine streak a mile wide and a hundred stories high, she tended to sit like a guy most of the time when in their company. Alex had lost track of the number of times she had plopped down on a chair or couch, legs gaped open no matter what she was wearing, like it didn’t matter. It was an unconscious thing, showing her complete comfort in their company. Right now her thighs were pressed together so tightly he doubted air could get between them.

  He should have never let his thoughts wander there. Now he was so hard his head hurt. Damn.

  “You guys are silly.” Lori finished her coffee and handed Alex the mug. He set it on the dresser and moved closer to the bed, getting on his knees slightly to her side. Lori cast him a startled glance, so he smiled. He knew what he looked like -- probably something like a wolf right before he ate the little lamb he just caught -- but damn it, enough was enough. She was theirs, she needed to understand that. “Okay, you win. I promise not to sneak out anymore, all right?”

  “Right.” Alex grinned. “I just bet you won’t.”

  “Damned straight she won’t,” Michael finished. “She’ll be too busy trying to keep us off her to sneak out. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I plan on doing anything and everything she lets me.” He grinned wolfishly. “Of course, I plan on coaxing and tempting her into letting me do all kinds of things.”

  Lori groaned and twined her arms around Jack’s neck as if seeking his protection. Alex knew better, though. She was beginning to relax and accept what had been inevitable since they’d first staked their claim the night before.

  * * *

  It was about to happen. Lori knew it with every fiber of her being. Her whole relationship with the brothers was about to change and she wasn’t sure she could stop it. Or if she even wanted to.

  Alex reached out a hand to her, eyebrows raised as if asking for her permission. Lori took his hand without hesitation but looked warily at them. Her heart raced. This was it. It was strange, really. It was like she was looking over her life and knowing there was something missing that they were about to complete.

  She almost groaned as unbidden images from her most erotic fantasies sprung to her mind. Sweat erupted over her as Alex helped her lie on the bed. Her stomach did a little flip. This was her house, damn it! She should be inviting them into her bed, not the other way around.

  “Don’t you think it’s a little presumptuous for you to think I’d want you in my bed?”

  “No.” Jack didn’t miss a beat. “I don’t. It wouldn’t matter, anyway. Actions speak louder than words, and I can tell just by looking at you you’re as into this as we are. Besides, I’ve found over the years that people say and do things when they’re drunk they may not normally do, but always wanted to. You let us know in no uncertain terms you wanted us.”

  It was desperation on her part, and she knew it. She had no will to fight these men. Why would she? She might lose her heart in the process, they might be playing a cruel joke on her, she might be reading more into the way they intruded on her privacy, but she didn’t have the strength of will to force them out. If there was even the slightest chance this would lead to them spending the night with her in that big bed of hers, she’d let it unfold as it would. Even if it crushed her heart.

  In all the years she’d known them, they’d only ventured up here when they knew she was hurting. All three of them, at one time or another, had lain with her in her bed and held her when she needed it. When her father had been gone for weeks at a time, or forgotten to attend a piano or dance recital, one of them would let themselves into the house and make their way up here. They never said a word, only held her until she cried herself to sleep. When she’d wake up, they’d be gone. But only one of them. Never all three of them. Having their big bodies here now, surrounding her like a pack of wolves going in for the kill, made her normally spacious room seem incredibly small.

  She felt her face heat, and she broke out in a fine sweat. They were right, of course. She wanted them badly. All of them sported jet-black hair and the bodies of Greek gods. All towered over her fragile five foot, three inch frame by a good foot, and she totally idolized them. Had since she was, like, six. This wasn’t something she could walk away from now that she had the chance. She just hoped they didn’t tread on her heart when they left. They might promise forever, but she knew better. Nothing was forever. She’d learned that lesson when she’d lost both her parents. Her mother to a car crash, her father to a broken heart. She’d been on her own for most of her life. As much as she wanted it different, she knew this was likely just a passing fantasy for them.

  But she’d damn well live the dream as long as they’d let her.

  While she considered Jack’s words, Michael tugged her closer to him and bent to kiss her lips. It was gentle and tender at first, but as soon as she started to respond to him, his kiss became ravenous and hungry. Before she realized fully what she was doing, she was clinging to him, desperately kissing him and thrusting her tongue into his mouth even as she sucked his.

  She felt hands on her waist, tugging her robe off. Michael gave the belt a yank, and it fell away. Taking her arms from Michael’s neck, but never breaking their torrid kiss, she let the garment fall from her arms even as she felt her robe slide from her body.

  Michael’s big hands came around her back, sliding down to her ass, where he squeezed the soft globes, and lifted her with little effort. Still fully clothed, Michael ground his pelvis into hers, leaving a wet spot on his jeans where her cunt had wept.

  “Get undressed, Mike,” came Jack’s voice. “There’s no rush. We’ve got all the time in the world to play with her.”

  Michael raised his head from hers and paused a moment. “You’re ours, Lori. The sooner you realize that, the better off everyone who tries to stake a claim will be. We’re the only ones who get to see this delectable little body ever again.”

  “That’s fine,” she answered a little breathlessly. “No one’s ever seen it, anyway. Well, other than my girlfriends at sleepovers or in the gym locker room.”

  All three of them broke out into huge grins.

  “Perfect.” Mike grinned before kissing her once again. He stood then to remove his clothing, and all that bronzed skin made her fingers itch to touch and her mouth water to taste him. All of him.

  “I knew all that hard work would pay off one day,” came Alex’s reply. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep the hounds at bay, Lori?”

  At her confused look, Jake added, “You don’t honestly believe there weren’t tons of men out there just itching to get in your pants? Not counting the ones you actually tried to date, there were a great many others.”

  “Yeah,” Alex added. “We’re just too vicious and mean. They knew to keep their distance.”

  Lori laughed. “Well, I’d hoped it wasn’t just me. It was kinda cute, actually, until I reached my eighteenth birthday, and there seemed no hope in sight of losing my virginity.”

  Alex and Jack had already undressed and immediately filled Michael’s position. Alex settled himself between Lori’s legs and breathed in her essence while Jack sat beside her, palming her plump breasts.

  “She’s gorgeous, don’t you think, Alex?” Jack asked.

  “Oh, yeah. She has a cute little bald cunt. When did you shave it, Lori?” he responded.

  “I-I’ve shaved it since it started getting hair. I didn’t like the way it looked.�
�� She was getting really hot. They were driving her nuts! She never imagined she’d get to play out this little fantasy. Ever.

  “I’m going to suck these fantastic tits, and Alex is going to eat that wet little pussy of yours until you scream. When Michael gets back over here, you’re going to suck his cock and get him ready for your cunt. Then the fun will begin.” With that, both dark heads dipped, and she became one writhing, moaning nerve ending.

  Lori had never felt such pleasure before. It wasn’t just their loving of her body, it was their words, too. She’d never really considered erotic talk to be, well, erotic, but damn! They had her hot!

  Jack sucked her nipples until the dark little points stood out a good inch and begged for attention, while Alex lapped and sucked at her cunt, making growling sounds like an animal, raising his head occasionally to tell her and his brothers how good she tasted and how he couldn’t wait to stick his dick in her tight little cunt.

  When Michael offered her his cock, she opened her mouth, taking in the head. It was too big for her to get much more than the head inside her mouth, but she probed it with her tongue and sucked him in when he pushed forward slightly. He threw his head back on a groan and tangled his fingers in her wealth of raven hair.

  “Yeah, baby. That feels so good!”

  “You should see how wet she is,” came Alex’s voice from between her thighs. “She’s fucking dripping wet!”

  “Stretch her a little, Alex,” Jack instructed. “Spread her with your fingers so Michael doesn’t hurt her too much when he takes her.”

  Ever the obedient brother, Alex inserted first one finger, then two into Lori’s drenched canal. Her hips arched into his questing digits, and she groaned her pleasure around Michael’s engorged cock. Another finger joined the two, then another, and Lori’s pussy began to burn from the invasion.