The Triplets Mate Zoe [The Cat Burglars 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  I hope Maia and Leah are both at home this morning. We’re going to need all the extra help we can get.

  The panthers ran a reclamation business, which sounded dodgy to Zoe, but they were used by the police and government, so they must be legal. She knew they rather jokingly called themselves The Cat Burglars, which was a play on their panther abilities as well as the fact that sometimes they sole things back from people who’d already stolen them. Like the man who’d taken her father’s stamp albums and never given her father the money for them. Fortunately, Leah and her three men had managed to sort that out, and the money had helped the family enormously.

  Leah had insisted some of it be used to pay all their bills, so her father couldn’t just give it away, which was a tendency he had. He was so kindhearted and felt so deeply for the poor and downtrodden. But sometimes paying the electric bill was just as important as helping another homeless person.

  Zoe parked her car in the church parking lot, and Diego pulled up beside her. Two of Leah’s mates were waiting in the lot, so that meant Leah was here, which was great news. Saxon and Hardy Stewart had been leaning against a tree. Now they came across to her car and Saxon asked, “Do you need us? There was some garbled message about extra food to collect.”

  Zoe waved at the backseat of her car, which was piled high with boxes of food, and popped the trunk, which was also filled with boxes.

  Hardy grinned. “It’s nice to be needed,” he said, piling three boxes into Saxon’s arms before picking up two and stacking them so he could lift them both himself.

  Diego walked past her, carrying the bread. “Don’t try to carry that stuff yourself. We’ll be back in a minute to get it for you.”

  Zoe nodded. Her mom would have to look at the items and decide the best way to save as much of the food as possible, so there was no immediate rush to get inside. Leah would be able to start work on the bread while that happened.

  Zoe stretched her back. The ice cream wouldn’t be too nice right now, but the milk should be all right as long as they used it today. Maybe they could make some kind of bread pudding for the people. They seldom had a real dessert to eat, and when they got one, they were always so grateful.

  Even when everything was taken into the large kitchen and her mom was oohing and aahing over the supplies, Zoe found herself thinking about Vallen, Montague, and Diego. Three kind, handsome men. The time had come for her to decide whether or not to tell them to go away from her and stay away, or whether she should accept their company and go on a date with them, as they so clearly wanted her to do.

  They’d been really helpful today. Without a crowd of people, this food wouldn’t have been salvageable. Maybe it wasn’t just coincidence. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe she should think about letting them get closer to her.

  Where else would I find handsome men who want to help? Handsome men who like me? It’s not going to happen ever again. I should jump at them before they get tired of waiting for me. Three men. Three men! If they ask me again, I’ll say yes.

  * * * *

  Diego carried the last boxes of food from Zoe’s car into kitchen of the parsonage. He hung Zoe’s car keys on the hook by the back door. Everyone in the family used the one vehicle, and he knew the keys were left there. The kitchen was piled high with partially defrosted meats, vegetables, desserts, and boxes of every imaginable thing the café owner had used in his work. No wonder the man had been devastated at the loss of so much.

  Diego waked to the pile of empty boxes and began opening them up and folding them flat. He didn’t know whether the pastor would keep them, or whether they had to be taken back to the café owner, or even thrown in the trash, but folding them flat was a necessary first step and would make some space in the overcrowded kitchen.

  It was a huge room, the heart of the house. The back door opened immediately into the kitchen and almost everyone used it as the main entry to the pastor’s home.

  John-Paul rubbed his hands on his jeans and said, “Right. You people can carry on here. I need to go and talk to George and Dorrie. Can one of you men check that the hall is open and do any setting up that the volunteers over there need?”

  Diego sighed. He could tell that was going to be him. Leah was newly mated to the Stewart triplets, and there was no way any of them would leave her side willingly. Besides, Diego knew what to do. He’d been coming here to help for weeks now and knew every step of the preparation process. At least they’d been given a leaf blower from a hardware store just a week ago, and he didn’t have to sweep the enormous parking lot anymore. That was a huge job reduced to a ten-minute one.

  “I’ll go,” he said, putting the last of the deconstructed boxes on the pile against the wall.

  The first of the volunteers who came every day to help prepare the food were just arriving. There were maybe a dozen women involved, and, of them, five or six would come on any given day. The only male volunteer was there every day. He was the only person the homeless people trusted to watch their precious possessions while they showered and ate.

  Once or twice he’d been ill and unable to come, and even though one of Zoe’s sisters had watched the property, the homeless people hadn’t been able to relax without Old Harry there in charge.

  Diego unlocked the door to the hall and switched on the lights while one of the women went straight to the boiling water unit on the wall and turned it on. He helped her get out the huge cauldrons to cook the food.

  “What’s on the menu today?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. The café down the road was burgled last night, and their freezer was damaged. George has donated the contents of his freezer to the ministry. But I don’t know what food was in it and what Naomi has decided to put on the menu today.”

  “George’s café was robbed? That’s terrible. You go there right now and tell George and Dorrie we’ll send them up a hot meal at noon, and we’ll come up after we finish here to see what they need.”

  Diego knew a direct order when he heard one. Arguing with her that it had nothing to do with him wasn’t going to work. “Yes, ma’am,” he said obediently.

  It was lucky the café was only a few blocks from the church. This was the second time he’d walked there already today. And it was damn likely he’d be walking it again at noon with their meals. Still, it was the least he could do to help.

  Vallen and the woman were washing the floor. The man was sitting at one of the tables with John-Paul and the panther pack’s accountant. Well, hell, Vallen had been busy. Diego hoped that meant their accountant was helping George fill out the paperwork to claim everything that had been damaged on the insurance. At least Vallen seemed to have everything here under control. He delivered his message, adding that’d he’d bring food for Vallen, John-Paul and the accountant as well, and headed back.

  The kitchen was a hive of activity when he returned, and it seemed he was the designated messenger boy. He spent the next few hours walking backward and forward from kitchen to hall, taking messages, fetching equipment, and delivering food. By the time he finally sat down to eat, he was as exhausted as if he’d been repossessing someone’s property.

  Even worse, he’d only had glimpses of Zoe. He hadn’t so much as exchanged a complete sentence with her all day. He wanted that woman so damn much it hurt. It didn’t matter how often logic told him he didn’t really know her. In his heart, he knew everything he needed to know. He’d watched her work really hard for hours and hours. He’d seen her talk gently to people in pain and stress. He’d sat around the kitchen table when she was laughing and joking with her family. Diego didn’t really think there was much more he needed to know about her except what she’d look like naked and in their dungeon. Or even better naked and in their bed.

  Besides, if she had flabby thighs or a wobbly belly, it wouldn’t matter at all. Her face was stunningly beautiful, and so was her nature. Anything else was just gravy. He wanted Zoe, and that was all that mattered—as long as she wanted him and his brothers as well.
And that was the tricky bit. How were they ever to find out? They needed to take a stand, stop pussyfooting around, and invite her on a date she couldn’t refuse.

  But what would that be?

  * * * *

  Montague had spent the longest six hours of his life in the kitchen at the parsonage. He’d been left there when Vallen went to get the bread and never came back. He was still there when Diego was sent to help him and then was in and out like a Mexican jumping bean for the rest of the morning.

  He’d scarcely seen Zoe. At first she was off organizing the bread. Then she and Leah supervised the women’s showers so their mom could deal with the food.

  Actually, that was a damn revelation to Monty. The food was all kinds of odds and ends. Things the café owner needed but not stuff that would normally be combined to make a single meal. Or, in this case, a meal for one hundred plus homeless people. Yet Naomi took a handful of this and a packet of that, and had Bram, Leah’s husband, searching through the pantry for spices and condiments and odd-sounding things, and by the time the meal was completed, it tasted amazing.

  It was just that Monty’s shoulders ached from dicing, peeling, and chopping. His ass was sore from six hours of sitting on a hard wooden chair, and he’d hardly even seen Zoe, let alone touched her or even spoken to her much.

  He eyed the enormous pile of dirty pots and pans and stared at Bram.

  “You can wash. I’ll dry.”

  “Wimp,” said Bram.

  When that was over, he made them each a cup of coffee and then leaned against the wall. “I’m surprised we did it. Most of that food was either saved or eaten. The same with the bread. Naomi is some kind of a genius at food preparation.”

  Bram nodded. “I agree. But now I’ve got dishpan hands.”

  Monty laughed. There had been three left-hand rubber gloves and no right-hand ones. Bram had tried using a left-hand glove on his right hand but given up after a while. “Time to write a shopping list,” he suggested.

  And the first thing on his shopping list wasn’t going to be latex for his hands. Latex for his dick was a distinct possibility. He couldn’t go on like this, not getting any closer to Zoe. It had been over a month. The time had come for the three brothers to make a serious attempt at dating her. Something her family would approve of. That if she tried not to accept, they’d encourage her to do it. But what the fuck would that be?

  “It’s Maia’s wedding on Saturday. I guess you’ll be back here for that,” said Bram.

  “We’ll be here as well on Wednesday and Friday. We’ve been coming on each of the women’s shower days while Leah was away.”

  “But she’s back now,” said Bram. Which was pretty obvious because he was there as well.

  A light bulb went off in Monty’s head as a brilliant idea came to him. “You and your brothers will be here on Wednesday, won’t you?”

  “Yes. The Alpha’s given us another week to get everything settled in the apartment before we’ll be given our new desk jobs.”

  “Zoe’s been working really hard these past few weeks. Vallen, Diego, and I would like to take her out for a day. Somewhere nice so she can relax and have fun. You’d be able to help here if we took her out on Wednesday, wouldn’t you?”

  “Sure.” Bram gave him a wicked grin. “As Zoe always said to Leah, ‘Have fuuun.’”

  “Hell yes. That’s the plan. Or it will be the plan when we work one out. I need to talk to Vallen and Diego first.”

  “And Zoe.”

  Fuck yes. They had to think of something she couldn’t possibly refuse. Not that he knew what that might look like.

  Chapter Two

  Zoe was pleased that Tuesday was much less dramatic than Monday. Of course she was really grateful for the extra donations of food. That had been wonderful. She hated the weeks when meal after meal was rice or pasta with some vegetables and maybe a piece of fresh fruit or, even worse, just soup and bread. So to have a full nutritious meal, plus a dessert, was amazing. And the people were so grateful. A number of them walked around to the café to thank George and Dorrie.

  But they’d all worked damn hard to get everything saved in time. Tuesday went smoothly. It was the male shower day, and as usual, Maia and her men were there for that. There was no sign Maia was pregnant yet, except maybe her breasts were a little fuller. But since she and Zoe planned to wear the dresses they’d worn for Leah’s wedding, it was just as well Maia’s body shape hadn’t changed much.

  One of the parishioners from the church had paid for their dresses as a wedding gift to Leah, and she’d bought a matching one in blue for Leah to wear to Maia’s wedding, which was beyond generous of her.

  That was to be Saturday evening, so Zoe was hoping for some peaceful days between then and now.

  On Wednesday, Maia and Leah both arrived to help, with Leah’s men, but when Vallen, Montague, and Diego arrived, they were wearing shined boots, tidy jeans, and business shirts, instead of old jeans and boots and T-shirts.

  “Zoe, since Leah and Maia are back, and Bram, Saxon, and Hardy are available to help, we were hoping you’d come with us to the national museum. There’s a brand new exhibit by a new artist who’s very good. We thought you might enjoy seeing it,” said Vallen.

  “But it’s a work day,” she answered, surprised that they’d try to take her away during a morning when they knew every morning she helped cook.

  “It’s a male shower day, and there are plenty of helpers,” coaxed Monty.

  “You’ve been working so hard lately. You deserve a day off,” added Diego.

  “They’re right, Zoe. We’ve both had time off, and you’re the one whose kept working. Go and get changed and then enjoy a day out,” said Leah.

  Zoe stared at her sisters and her mom, but they were all nodding at her.

  She looked back at the men. Vallen looked as if he were trying to will her to say yes. Montague was smiling at her, and Diego was wearing what she could only describe as a pleading puppy dog face.

  “Go on,” urged Maia.

  “Yes. We’ve been remiss in not telling you to take a break,” said her mother.

  “I don’t mind working. I believe in what we’re doing,” Zoe said.

  “Even the good Lord himself took a day off. Go and look at the paintings,” said her father.

  It seemed to be unanimous. She was going to the museum instead of peeling vegetables.

  Zoe hurried upstairs and dressed to match the men in her best jeans, a silk shirt, and a thin woolen sweater for if she was cool.

  As she walked through the kitchen her sisters chorused, “Have fuuun,” the way the three of them always had done. She wondered if either of them thought she might kiss these men. Well, clearly Maia had done more than kiss, but Zoe wasn’t going to repeat that mistake. However, kissing did seem a possibility. They were incredibly handsome and— No. Of course she wouldn’t kiss them. The museum would be packed with school children and their teachers, as well as people on vacation and retired people. Kissing wasn’t likely at all.

  A moment of disappointment ran through Zoe’s veins, and she had to take a deep breath and center herself. She was not her sisters. She was an individual. Just because they’d both married—well, almost married in Maia’s case—panther shape-shifter triplets, that didn’t mean she was going to get friendly with panther triplets. Besides, a few months ago, she hadn’t even realized there were three sets of triplets in the town, let alone, in her wildest imaginings, thought she’d see them in her house.

  How did a woman even fuck three men? One after another seemed grossly unfair, and the logistics of having three men at once seemed impossible to choreograph.

  Leah and Maia know how!

  Wow! I’m so not going there.

  But she couldn’t help picturing the Reed triplets holding her, kissing her, enveloping her in their strong arms, and pressing her against their hard bodies.

  Once again Zoe shook herself and climbed into their car, determined to focus on the paintings,
not the men escorting her.

  * * * *

  Vallen, Monty, and Diego had spent hours deciding on where to take Zoe and then working out how the day would go. They needed to move around the museum so that, by lunchtime, they were reasonably close to the cafe there. That also placed them not far from the exit, which was Vallen’s next hope—that they could talk her into wanting to see the dungeon at the panther warehouse. He’d booked it for the entire afternoon and evening in the hope that she’d visit it with them. It wasn’t a strong hope. He wasn’t even certain she’d agree to come with them at all, despite Diego and Monty insisting she would simply because the rest of her family would encourage her to accept their invitation.

  That had indeed happened, so they were moving along okay with the program so far.

  However, their planning hadn’t allowed for Zoe’s input, which Vallen found out almost immediately was a mistake. She collected a brochure with a floor plan of the museum from a smiling greeter and then went and sat on a nearby bench. Vallen just stood and stared as she pulled a highlighter pen out of her purse and began reading the brochure.

  She circled several exhibits, and he assumed those were the ones she wanted to see. That was reasonable he supposed.

  “Are you ready? Which ones do you want to go to first?” he asked.

  She just shook her head, put the pink highlighter pen away, and took out a blue one. “What was the exhibit you wanted to show me?” she asked.

  Fortunately, Diego was on the ball. “He calls himself No-Hoper Artist, but he’s actually very good. His paintings are in the Thomson Galleria.”

  Zoe nodded and circled that one in blue. “What else would you like to see?”

  “Whatever you want to,” replied Diego.

  Vallen nodded. He couldn’t care less. He just wanted to be alone with Zoe for a few hours.