Page 20 of Her Alien Mercenaries
One look at her kitchen, and she understood why she hadn’t recognized the scent. Judging by the dirty dishes, her mates had enjoyed a number of meals. She burst out laughing at the sight, not of the dishes, but of the almost identical expressions of guilt on both Zanyr’s and Torren’s faces.
“We wanted to make you something to eat,” Torren explained.
“But Torren’s first pick was the blandest thing I’ve ever tasted. So we had to try again.”
“And that was good, but it didn’t seem like the right meal for you.”
“So we tried again.”
She stood, bemused, as the two males finished each other’s sentences. It made her wonder if their ability to work together seamlessly carried over to other skills. That, in turn, sent her brain down a wormhole of increasingly vivid, arousing images that almost derailed her thought process entirely. Whoa. She reined in her libido and managed to rejoin the conversation without it being too obvious what had happened. At least, she hoped so.
“I see. Which one did you decide on?”
“The soup,” both of them answered at the same time.
“Oh! Good choice. Chicken and dumpling soup is my one of my favorites.” She looked over the dishes and frowned. “Wait, these are all my favorites. How many did you try?”
“Three, Zanyr said, stepping to one side to block her view of a plate with several brownies on it.
“Four,” Torren said.
“Well, four total. Three entrees and one dessert,” Zanyr admitted. Then he brightened as he grabbed for the plate of brownies and offered it to her. “But we saved you some.”
“Soup and brownies sound perfect. Thank you.”
“You sit down. We’ll bring it to you,” Torren said.
“Right. Bringing it to you now.” Zanyr set down the brownies in the middle of the table while she got seated. Torren delivered the soup, and then they made more tamales for themselves and brought them over to join her.
She was hungrier than she’d expected. It hadn’t been that long since the meal at the tavern, but she polished off the soup and moved on to the brownies faster than normal. “I don’t know why I’m so hungry. Maybe all the fresh air?”
Torren and Zanyr shared a knowing look. “It’s probably the same reason we started eating your food without so much as asking permission,” Torren said. “Sorry about that.”
“Thesharhalcan affect a variety of things. I mean, other than the obvious.” Zanyr grinned at her. “It can mess with your concentration, your need for sleep, and in some cases, accelerate the body’s metabolism. I’d say we’re experiencing at least some of those already.”
“And it will only get worse?” Jenna winced. “Strike that. Bad wording. Not worse, stronger. We’re going to be a mess in a day or so. Right?”
“That depends,” Torren said.
“On what?” she asked.
The energy in the room changed, intensifying. Every second stretched out longer than it should have as a thrill of anticipation and hope raced through her.
“How long you want us to wait before we claim you,” Zanyr said.
She turned her head to look at him and found herself captured in the brilliant amber fire of his eyes. For a moment, she thought she might go up in flames from the heat burning in his gaze, but she managed to focus on what he said.
They were leaving the choice up to her. These two proud males would fight the mating fever to give her time. It was gratifying. Flattering. Intoxicating to have that power over them both.
“I know what happens if we wait too long. I’ll suffer, but not as badly as the two of you.” She shook her head hard. “I don’t want that. For you to suffer, I mean.”
Jenna pushed back her chair and rose from the table. Her heart pounded against her ribs and her legs weren’t entirely steady, but she managed to hold out a hand to each of them. “Today has been a day full of firsts. I think it’s time for another.”
“First?” Torren took her hand, but his tone was confused.
Zanyr chuckled and caught her hand in his large, callused one. “Mahaya, are you saying you’ve never been with two males before?”
She nodded, her mouth too dry for her to form words.
