Into the Lair (Falcon Mercenary Group #2)(46)

Eli grinned. “I’d like to see that.”

“Let’s do this,” Tits said as he headed for the door. “Check you boys later.”

Eli followed, leaving Ian and Braden standing alone in the small entryway of the mountain cottage. Braden started to walk toward the kitchen when Ian put a hand out to stop him.

“I need a favor, man.”

Braden stopped and looked curiously at him.

Ian ran a hand through his hair as his stomach knotted. God, this was awkward as hell. He hadn’t felt this dumb since he and Braden were foster kids flipping a coin to see who got to ask Tracy Hawkins to the school dance.

“Look, uh, I need you to stick around. With me and Katie, that is. Not directly, but I could shift, and I don’t want to hurt her.”

Braden looked incredulously at him. “You’re planning to have sex with her? Now? After I kissed her? After giving me shit about kissing her?”

Ian’s cheeks tightened.

“And you want me to watch?”

“Christ,” Ian mumbled. “I knew it would all come out wrong. You know damn well I’m not asking you to watch. Okay, maybe I am. Goddamn it. I’m not trying to turn this into a kink-fest. I just want to be with her for a while and not worry about turning into a damn jaguar and ripping her throat out.”

“Dude, do you forget that Marcus just put about ten stitches in her gut? Or that I kissed her?”

Ian sighed. “First of all, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m aware of her injuries. I don’t need a lecture like I’m some kind of goddamn kid. Second, are you telling me you have a problem with this?”

Braden stared at him for a long moment. “Would it matter if I did?”

Ian hesitated a little too long.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Do you have a problem?” Ian asked again.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I guess I would have taken it a lot better if you’d have said, ‘Hey, Braden, let’s go make love to Katie’. But it came out more like, ‘Hey bro, I’m going to go have sex with Katie and I want you to watch to make sure I don’t flake’.”

“I guess this time I don’t want a threesome,” Ian said in a low voice.

“She’s attracted to us both, Ian. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know. And I’m okay with it. I just don’t want my first time with her to be…hell, I don’t know.”

“You got condoms?”

Ian’s head came up. The abrupt change in subject damn near gave him whiplash. “Fuck me. No, I don’t have goddamn condoms.”

Braden grinned. “Aren’t you glad at least one of us has sex on the brain all the time?”

Ian sighed in relief, more over the fact that Braden didn’t seem pissed than the fact that he had condoms. Although the condoms didn’t hurt.

Braden went to his bag and pulled out a couple of packets then tossed them one at a time in Ian’s direction. Ian caught them and shoved them into his pocket.

“I doubt she’s going to like me watching,” Braden said.

“If it’s done right, I don’t think she’ll object. As you said, she’s attracted to both of us. I guess the sooner she’s used to both of us being around, the sooner she’ll accept having sex with us both at the same time.”

Braden cocked his head and studied Ian. “And is that going to happen, Ian? Because I see you being mighty possessive when it comes to her. If I ask the same thing of you tomorrow, as in you back off while I make love to her, how are you going to react?”

Ian shoved a hand through his hair and blew out his breath in frustration. “Look, can we get into this another time? Preferably before Katie changes her mind about inviting me into her bed?”

“No, we can’t,” Braden said simply. “Because you aren’t going in there unless we’ve reached an understanding.”

Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. “So it’s like that.”

Braden nodded. “You damn right it is. I kissed her, remember? I’ve been attracted to her from the beginning. The only reason I’m cool with this is because she’s attracted to us both and because a woman has never been a problem between us in the past. Now you need to tell me if Katie is going to be that problem.”

Ian shook his head. “No. She’s not going to be a problem, Braden. But what if it’s a problem for her?”

“Then we let her decide on her own,” Braden said softly. “But fair warning, Ian. If she can’t accept both of us, then I don’t plan to sit back and let you take her from me.”

Ian stared at his brother in astonishment. When had they decided to stake a claim? Hell, all he wanted was sex. Wasn’t it? And if it was just sex then why would he care what Braden did afterward? And why did the idea of Katie not accepting both of them and choosing Braden instead leave a very bad taste in his mouth?

He glanced toward the bedroom where Katie was. Part of him wondered if the smartest thing would be to just leave her alone and not open the door to a whole host of potential problems. The other part of him knew if he didn’t make love to her soon, he was going to turn himself inside out.

Then he looked back at Braden who surveyed him with brooding intensity. Was it fair for him to ask his brother to watch over him and Katie when Braden so obviously wanted to make love to her too?