"So what's the plan for today?" I asked once we were all seated and everyone had a small tower of pancakes in their plates.

I had already thanked Sebastian and Eric for the food by planting a quick kiss on their cheeks before sitting in the chair between them. I had went for a quick and innocent peck because I didn't trust myself if our lips connected.

Having seen Sebastian and Eric cooking and laughing together earlier had eased my lingering worries. Dean joining us in the kitchen afterwards, the four of us being in one room without any male causing trouble, had awoken my desire. The kind that could be sated only by being with all three of my guys.

No wonder I had needed a long shower. I couldn't have breakfast with them otherwise. And that had been even before they had decided to hold a pecs-and-abs parade for me.

Now my girlie bits knew what having blue balls felt like.

"The plan for today," Dean spoke while drowning his top pancake in chocolate syrup, "is there is no plan. Right, pal?"

Sebastian nodded. "We're off enforcement duty for today, thanks to our helpful pride mates."

"Oh..." We could spend the entire day together, all of us? Holy hell.

"I texted Claudine while I was getting dressed," Dean said, "to let her know not me but Chris will be keeping an eye on her during her date. She replied with, 'Yay! Will get laid today!'"

Sebastian stabbed his top pancake hard enough for the fork to sink five pancakes deep. "Chris might not be as strict as us but I have instructed him not to let that fucker in Claudine's panties yet. Not until that weasel wins my trust."

"What kind of shifter is her boyfriend?" I asked out of curiosity.

"A weasel."

Water sprayed out my mouth as I giggled while drinking. "Sorry."

Eric handed me a napkin with a smile.

"Anna won't miss me either," Sebastian noted. "The people at her photo shoot will appreciate Bary's smiley face more. She wanted me to let you know she can't wait to meet you, Samantha."

"Oh. That's so nice.... Everyone from the pride I've met thus far seems great, as a matter of fact."

Eric gave my hand on the table a gentle squeeze. "They think you're great yourself, lovely."

I squeezed his hand back. "They were good to you last night?"

"They treated me like one of the pride already."

"Everyone wants the two of you to join the pride," Sebastian assured us.

"Yeah, absolutely." Dean pointed his fork in my and Eric's direction. "We should arrange the official joining ceremony soon. A move-in as well."

Everyone's gazes were on me after that suggestion. Awaiting my reaction.

I barely hesitated. "Great idea. I've never had such a ceremony before. And I do need the clothes from my apartment here, before this dress starts to stink."

"You can always take it off, sweetie." Dean winked at me.

My tigress thought that idea was the best one yet. Especially if instead of a dress, my skin would be covered by a naked male body. Or two. Or three.

Mouth suddenly dry, I drank half my glass of water in one go.

"Look, guys... Can we talk about the serious staff tomorrow?" I suggested. "Since we have this day to ourselves, how about we just enjoy our time together without thoughts of work, move-ins, pride memberships, me being bankrupt, and so on?"

Eric nodded his agreement.

"Sounds very irresponsible." Dean smiled, a playful glint in his eyes. "Count me in for this sweet heaven."

My gaze moved to Sebastian.

He was barely scowling, eyes on me. "What the smartass said."

"Great." Everyone was on board. But what exactly did I have in mind for us to do today? Aside from my tigress' suggestion of climbing my guys like a tree, that was. "Does a video game sound good to everyone?"

"Sweetie, I'm afraid my joystick is caput and the new one is yet to arrive."

"Oh."

"I broke it in two while thinking about you and the things we could do."

I giggled.

A balled napkin flew Dean's way. "Shut it with the rhyming, Dean. We can play Street Fighter, it works with the console's motion sensor."

Eric cleared his throat. "Anything non-violent in your games collection?"

"Oh, I have an idea!" I exclaimed. "I bet you don't have that game but we can download it from the online store. There's no violence and horror in it, it's fun, we don't need joysticks for it and since you all dance... How about we play Just Dance?"

Eric's eyes lit up. "I've played that one. It's fun, indeed. There are many songs for four players."

Dean wrinkled his nose. "But the choreographies we have to follow are crap."

"We don't have to play for the sake of scoring high points." I raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you and Sebastian liked to improvise?"

He chuckled. "I'm in."

Sebastian gave me a smoldering look. "We'll improvise. Like last night."

Darn it. Acting on impulse, I had started something dangerous here. I hoped my ovaries could take it.

The easy-going atmosphere from the kitchen was transferred to the living room. Perhaps it was because we left the dishes dirty without raising the question who was going to load the dishwasher. Perhaps it had to do with my refusal to say whose pancakes were tastier: Sebastian's or Dean's. Or maybe it was because everyone was eager to play.

With the sofa and the coffee table moved to the side, we had a decent dance floor. We started with slower and goofier songs, since we had just eaten a staggering amount of pancakes.

For around half an hour we more or less followed the choreography shown on screen, making some decent scores, particularly Sebastian. He was both competitive and good at following the moves, no doubt his years of practicing martial arts coming in handy. Eric came a close second, his previous experience with the game and his swimmer's physique giving him an advantage. Then came Dean and I, laughing more than we were dancing.

After the half-hour mark, however, things started to heat up. Or was it my body that was burning up? Either way, my eyes started straying too often from the TV screen to ogle my bare-chested companions. My body began drifting closer and closer to Eric and then Dean, craving skin-to-skin contact. But it was Sebastian's gaze that I searched for while I was improvising dance moves with the others.

He was always watching me but never coming closer. Regardless of the dire situation below his waist, he kept his distance. He wanted me to go to him by my own choice.

When Maneater by Nelly Furtado started playing, I felt bolstered to do just that.

His eyes turned amber as he watched me sway my hips his way. He issued a low growl when I pressed my back to his front. Muscular arms encircled my waist possessively. I placed my hands on top of his.

I turned to see if my actions were stirring trouble. Eric had turned to the side but I sensed no anger from him; he was rather trying to give us privacy. Dean was doing the opposite: his attention was entirely on Sebastian and I, the game on the TV screen forgotten.

"I know what you're doing, darlin'," Sebastian murmured in my ear, his hips swaying in synchrony with mine.

"What do you mean? I'm simply... playing this game," I mumbled. Then gasped when he nipped my earlobe.

"You're playing, yes. But not this dancing game. You're testing us."

"Oh?" It was hard to follow his train of thought with his erection brushing against my butt at every sway, his skin hot against the back of my dress, and Dean drinking us in like a man parched.

"You want to see how we'll react to the sight of your sexy curves pressed against another. In a vertical dance."

I bit my lip. His rumbly voice in my ear was like a darn aphrodisiac; coupled with his words, it was making me rub my thighs together to relieve the pressure in my clit.

"You're ready to join me in a horizontal dance, aren't you, Samantha?"

He had to be able to smell how ready my body was for him. But he wanted to hear me say that I wanted him body and soul. That I was ready for his mating mark.

"Yes, Sebastian. I'm finally ready for you. My fated mate."

Saying it felt so liberating I sighed at the end.

He growled and tightened his hold around me. "Took you long enough, darlin'. After this torment you subjected me to, I shouldn't give you a quick release. I should keep you right on the edge until you're begging me to let you come."

I rested my head back against his chest to look up and lock eyes with his. "I'm sorry for being the worst fated mate in existence. But I needed to see the three of you can get along. With and without me in the room."

"So it was today's breakfast that convinced you, not last night's threesome?"

My sides burned at the reminder. "Last night was crucial. What I heard at breakfast was as well."

He nipped my earlobe again. "It was the idea about the honey-tasting, wasn't it? Because that is going to happen. You, on the table, getting every inch of your body licked and sucked."

Darn the guy. He was going to make me combust on the spot.

As if his words weren't enough, Sebastian resorted to touch as well. His hands cupped my breasts and unerringly found my already pebbled nipples to pluck at them. The thin fabric of the dress and my lacy bra were no obstacle for his skilled fingers.

I gasped in delight and instinctively rubbed against the monstrous bulge in his jeans. What was he packing in there?

"Can I join?" Dean asked, amber eyes fixated on what Sebastian was doing to make me squirm.

I managed a nod, words already starting to fail me.

Dean came to stand in front of me, hands on my waist and perfectly defined pecs close enough for a lick.

"Kiss her now, Dean, because I'm possessing her mouth after."

"Got it, pal."

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

That made me pull away from Dean's kiss. I turned to the side and saw Eric was halfway to the door, stopping only because of Sebastian's question.

"Eric?"

He gave me a smile. "I'll go work on the pride's cars that need fixing."

I bit my lip. I knew Eric was as shy as me, I couldn't expect him to stay for what came next. But if he didn't like what was happening, his eyes wouldn't be emerald-green at the moment. He wouldn't be obviously hard in his jeans. Meaning that he was leaving out of shyness, not distaste.

"Stay, Eric," I pleaded. "Please."

He shook his head. "This is your mating with Bas. It's an intimate moment for the two of you. Or... the three of you. It's not my place."

"It is your place!" I left Sebastian's secure hold and went to cup Eric's face. "You know you belong with me, always. I want you to be present for the last marking."

"Yeah, stay, buddy. It feels right, can't you tell?"

"You're staying, Eric," Sebastian declared. "Our mate needs all three of us."

Eric searched my eyes, doubt still visible in his. He cupped my cheeks, mirroring my touch...

And attacked my lips in a hungry kiss.

"Hot damn. I didn't see that coming."

Neither did I, Dean. But I was too busy kissing Eric back to say that out loud.

Heart overflowing with joy, I took Eric's hand in mine once our lips parted and we grinned at each other. I guided him towards the door and the others followed immediately.

Entering the bedroom with three men hot on my heals was exhilarating, to put it mildly. I felt so confident and daring that I let go of Eric's hand to go climb on Sebastian's bed. I moved on all fours, eliciting two groans and one growl behind me, until I reached the center of the bed. There, I turned around and laid on my elbows.

My guys were standing around the bed, bodies tense and eyes not on my prone form but on my face. Waiting for my permission.

I bit my lip and crooked a finger at Sebastian.

He grinned.

Then pounced.