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Shannon’s heart lifted a little. She’d been worried that after they got back to Lamentation, she might never see the alphas again. She was glad to hear that wasn’t going to be the case. But how would they ever make a relationship work?
She had an idea.
“I could keep taking the suppressants most of the time, just to hide what I am from the people in Lamentation. That way I’d be able to keep the ranch. I know you and Logan like to travel around, but you could stop by and visit me every now and then. If you let me know ahead of time when you’re coming, I can lay off the elixir for your visit. As long as we keep our business on the ranch, nobody in town will be any the wiser.”
Tanner considered this for a minute, shook his head.
“I don’t like it.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t. You see, me and Logan aren’t interested in a part-time arrangement with you, Shannon. When it comes to you, we’re all in. And I reckon there’s a way we can work it so you get to keep the ranch, we get to keep you, and everybody’s happy. The thing is, you’ll have to trust us…”
Shannon sat and listened as Tanner explained his plan, and as she listened, she felt her heart swelling up with emotion. Once or twice she had to wipe happy tears out of her eyes.
“So,” Tanner said when he was finished. “What do you think?”
“I love it.”
She saw Tanner and Logan relax a little, as if they’d been anxious she might answer them differently. Rufus rumbled softly in her lap and thumped the ground with his tail.
“We’ll have to mark you before we get back to town,” Tanner said. “But it’s been a long, hard day. I reckon you probably just want to rest tonight.”
Shannon flashed a naughty smile.
“You reckon wrong, cowboy.”
She shifted her legs out from underneath Rufus’ massive head, stood up, and started untying the knot holding the front of her shirt together. Before she could get it undone, Tanner and Logan had both come around the fire so fast their movements were a blur, and they stopped her hands with their own.
“What’s the matter?” Shannon asked. “Don’t you want me to take my clothes off?”
“No,” Tanner growled, and the sound of his voice raised goosebumps all over Shannon’s skin. “That’s our job.”
CHAPTER 40
This time, there was no tearing of garments, no popping of buttons or rending of fabric. The alphas undressed Shannon slowly, almost reverentially, and she shivered with anticipation as each new piece of clothing slid away from her skin. Through it all, the alphas never stopped purring, and their combined vibrations stirred something deep within Shannon’s core. It was not the snarling, animalistic hunger she had experienced during the previous two evenings, but it was every bit as intense.
When the alphas were finished stripping her, they stripped themselves. Shirts were flung away into the deepening darkness. Pants were pushed down and kicked aside. Hard muscles and even harder cocks shone in the light from the fire.
Tanner and Logan moved in on her from both sides like mirror images of one another. Each of them claimed one of her breasts, massaging them slowly as they kissed her neck. Shannon’s hands found their hard shafts and started to stroke.
Meanwhile, Rufus took up his position behind her. He had shifted into his human form, and Shannon could feel his hard arousal pressing against her lower back. His hands slipped around in front of her. One caressed her abdomen. The other caressed lower down. His fingers teased her, bringing her right up to the edge of a climax… then stopping at the last second. Shannon whined and pouted, but her omega instincts understood exactly what he was doing.
He was preparing her.
“We’re going to mark you now,” Tanner purred. “Are you sure you want this, Shannon? Once you’ve been marked, there will be no turning back. We will no longer be lovers, we will be mates, and that is a bond that cannot be broken, not even by death itself.”
“I want that,” Shannon breathed.
“Good. So do we, little omega. So do we. I’ve got to warn you though, this is going to hurt a little.”
“Worse than when you spanked me?”
“I’m afraid so, but the pain won’t last as long. Only for a second or two. Do you think you can handle it, little one?”
“I can take it,” Shannon said, and she tightened her grip on his shaft. “I would walk through hell and back to be your mate.”
“As long as you’re my mate,” Tanner whispered, “you’ll never have to endure anything like that.”
