Free Pursuing Paige by Anya Bast

but the curse of a Lycaon is never wanting their mate to
need to.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    Kaiden slid his mouth
down the curve of her breast and fastened his warm lips over the
taut nipple, flicking it back and forth with his wet tongue. She
arched her back and moaned as he teased it, radiating pleasure
through her. His hand slid between her thighs while she eased her
palms down his muscular, smooth back and upper arms. Her mind was
lost in a swirl of bliss.
    Paige woke with a
start, her body humming from the dream. She rolled over, panting.
It had seemed so real. Waking without Kaiden in her bed almost
hurt.
    Jarek had wanted her to
sleep with him and she’d wanted that, too. But having Kaiden home
changed the dynamic in the household, probably more for her than it
did for them. They’d been expecting an arrangement like this, after
all. But it was all new for her and she wasn’t sure quite how to
deal with wanting two men at once...and being able to have
them.
    Needing to look at
Kaiden, to assure herself that he was, in fact, back in the house,
alive and well, she slipped from her bed. Finding her robe, she
slid it on as she left the room. Kaiden’s room was just down the
dark hallway.
    She pushed the door
open and found him sprawled across his bed, the sheet twined around
his waist and his chest bare. Moonlight glowed on his skin, giving
it a magical silvery sheen. She let out a breath. There he was,
safe and sound. The wound he’d sustained in the woods looked much
better. Lycaon healed quickly.
    Walking closer to him,
she reached out and touched the hard plane of his chest. He smelled
of the soap he’d used earlier that evening. Unable to resist, she
pulled off her robe and slipped under the covers.
    Kaiden didn’t wake, but
pulled her close in his sleep. She rested her head on his chest and
closed her eyes, enjoying the heat coming off his body. The Lycaon
seemed to have a higher resting body temperature than humans.
    Her time with Jarek had
been lovely, but she was glad Kaiden was home. Both of the men
seemed to assuage needs within her she hadn’t known she possessed.
It was going to be very hard to leave them when her time here was
done.
    Right now she wouldn’t
think about that. Right now she would live in the moment, enjoy her
time with them, and take advantage of it. She would consider this a
break from reality, a segway into the world of fantasies she’d
never dreamed would come true.
    Smiling, she settled
against Kaiden and sighed. He tightened his arms around her and she
relaxed. Being close to either Kaiden or Jarek made her feel
protected and safe. It wasn’t a feeling she’d ever sought before,
but now that she had it, she enjoyed it.
    Closing her eyes, she
drifted into a deep sleep.
     
     
    * * * * *
     
    Kaiden woke to
find a sweet, warm weight against his side. He stayed motionless
for a long time, afraid that if he moved she’d disappear and he’d
wake from a dream. As she shifted in her sleep, her hair brushed
his skin. His breath hitched as a shaft of sunlight caught her skin
and made it glow.
    Warm happiness
filled his chest. Perfect moments like this came too rarely,
especially in his life.
    She roused and
her eyes opened, her pretty gaze meeting his. She smiled.
“Morning.”
    He swallowed
back the lump in his throat. “Morning.”
    “Feeling
better?”
    “I couldn’t
feel any better right now. Really, there’s no way. You’re in my
bed, Paige.”
    Her smile
widened and her cheeks went pink. “Your wound, I mean. How is
it?”
    Wound? Oh, then
he remembered. “It’s still stings, but it will be fine. Lycaon are
tough.”
    “And
protective, caring, strong, and a couple hundred other positive
things.”
    “Did you sleep
all night with me?”
    She nodded.
“Pretty much. It was lovely.”
    Reaching up, he
ran his thumb over her lips. “Not as lovely as waking up and having
you at my side.”
    She pushed up
and, careful not to touch his burn, which was covered with