Dawn Endeavor 1: Fallon's Flame by Marie Harte (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

“Good Lord. You talked about me like that?”

“Honey, you're sexy. You could be starring in your own porno. Your smooth skin and bright eyes? That long black hair? You have killer tits, lips made for blowing—”

She clapped a hand over his mouth. He chuckled and licked her palm, and she ripped her hand away.

“Okay, I won't say it. But you can't deny you're hot.”

“Thanks, I think.” Talk about bizarre. She had the odd notion Gunnar's compliments were sincere. As if she should thank the barbarian for likening her to a porn star. “Where are you taking me, exactly?”

“Jules's room. Fallon's waiting there too.”

She settled down at news of Jesse. But this close to Gunnar, she could feel every bit of his excitement. Arousal and anticipation raced through his veins.

Unnerved, she squirmed in his hold. When one of his hands crept too close to her breast, she smacked his chest.

“Then stop moving,” he growled.

The low timbre made her shiver, not with fear, but with a foreign desire.

Alarmed, she wondered what she felt: her emotions or his?

“Do Circs feel with a greater intensity?”

“I don't know. Depends on what you mean by intensity.”

“Do you guys get hornier more than most?” She tried again, going for blunt.

“Oh, that. Sure. We're hard all the time.”

“For God's sake.”

“You asked.” He hefted her in his arms and walked down the hallway and across into the men's wing without incident. To her relief, they didn't pass by anyone. “And here we are.” He pushed through the door and kicked it closed behind him.

Fallon and Jules waited within, both tense and unhappy.

Jules nodded. “Good.”

“Where's Kisho?” she asked, half hoping Gunnar would turn around and take her right out the door. While she secretly delighted in seeing Jesse again, the uncomfortable notion she was the cause of the unrest between the men made her want to flee.

“We don't need Kisho for this,” Jules answered.

“We don't need you either,” Jesse spat back at Jules and clenched his fists.

She couldn't be sure, but it appeared as if his skin had grown darker since she'd last seen him.

“Oh boy. I've been looking forward to this,” Gunnar murmured in her ear. The brute had yet to set her on her feet. He vibrated with amusement, more so when Jesse's gaze lingered on his hand over her belly.

“Let me down,” she whispered.

“No,” he whispered back and kissed her on the mouth.

She heard Jesse's roar, as well as the sound of blows. But Gunnar caught and held her attention. She didn't want him. That is, her affection for Jesse held. Still, an alien part of her clamored for Gunnar's attention, which made little sense.

Perhaps it was his innate wildness. Whatever the case, she leaned into his kiss and caught the scent of cedar. Cedar, not the mint she associated with Jesse. She stiffened and broke from his mouth.

“No.”

“Yes.” He walked to Jules's bed and tossed her onto it. To her shock, he stripped down to nothing. He'd said he was huge, and seeing him now, she couldn't disagree.

Her gaze shot from Gunnar to Jesse, who still fought with Jules.

“You want out of here, fight for it.” Gunnar smiled. His lips curled to reveal two large, sharp canines.

“What the hell?” Despite her aches, Olivia scrambled back on the massive bed. She alternated her gaze from an approaching Gunnar to Jesse, struggling to free himself from Jules.

He caught her panic and swore at Gunnar. “Tersch, you fucking touch her, and I'll rip your head from your body.”

“Promises, promises.” Gunnar gripped his cock and began stroking himself, the sight vaguely upsetting, because instead of horrifying her, Gunnar aroused her. “Come on, Olivia.

Lean closer and put those lips around me. You know you want to. Circ cum can be addictive.”

“Like you'd know,” she rasped.

“Actually I do. Fallon's is sweet, but then, they all are.”

Stunned, she stared from him to Jesse. “You…you and Jesse…?”

“And Jules and Hayashi. We're a real close team. When the mating heat hits, there's not a lot we can do but find satisfaction in a Circ. But if we've finally found a female…” He paused, and she recalled what Jules had asked her the other day.

“I'm not Circ!” she cried. “I'm fully me. Normal. A regular girl.” Who really shouldn't have asked for a break in the cycle of boredom dragging me down. Oh my God. He has fangs! A glance at Jesse and Jules showed them with fangs and claws as well.

“Tersch, hold on to her,” Jules said with a grunt as Jesse rolled over him and punched him fully in the face.

Expecting to see a broken nose around so much blood, Olivia watched in shock as Jules wrenched his nose back into place and wiped the blood away. The swelling ceased as if Jesse hadn't hit him.

“Wh-what… You… He didn't…”

Gunnar caught her in his arms and stripped her, immune to her struggles. Naked, every place they touched her lit her on fire. He growled and leaned closer to sniff her. “I can't tell. She still smells like Fallon.”

Jules sat on top of Jesse and leaned close. “Enough. We're going to settle this right the fuck now.” He levered off Jesse and pulled him to his feet.

Poor Jesse looked beat, but when he looked at her, hunger darkened his gaze.

“That's right. You want your mate, Fallon. You know what you have to do.” Jesse shook his head, but he didn't protest when Jules stripped him of his clothes.

Gunnar had said they all enjoyed one another. And right then Olivia could believe it. The aggression in the air turned to lust between one heartbeat and the next. Gunnar held her back to his chest, but she could feel his steely cock against her backside. He cupped her breast and tweaked her nipple as they watched Jules handle Jesse.

Jules mirrored Gunnar's stance, putting Jesse's back to his front. “If you're a part of us, then you're really a part of us,” Jules said clearly, his silver gaze glued to Olivia's.