“Your head and your back. Is that the only thing that is causing you pain?” Dawson tilted up her head and looked into her eyes.
“No, my stomach and my arm and shoulder. He punched me and wrenched my arm. I got my ass kicked. I think I’ll sign up for some self-defense classes. I know I’ll have Dawson, Ethan, and Griffin, but I will be alone sometimes. I don’t want to be so helpless again.” She drew in a shallow breath. Pain throbbed over her jaw.
“I want her to go to the hospital. She might have a slight concussion, but I’m more worried about the stomach and back pain. Tell them about the arm, too. If that’s fractured, her first transformation might be a little dicey.” Judge put some pressure on her stomach, but eased off when she drew in a hissing breath and moaned.
“There’s no question that she’ll go to the hospital. Her head is already sporting a bruise and then there’s everything else she mentioned.” Ethan patted Dawson’s shoulder. “He’ll go with her since he’s still a little tense.”
“Dawson, please come with me. After all of that, I really need you with me.” Penny looked up at him. Hopefully, it would help him calm down and feel slightly less guilty.
“I can stay here and follow if one of you need to go with her.” Dawson straightened.
“And need to be tranquilized when you lose control?” Griffin strolled over to them. “You had to get that guy off her. I’d be in the same state if it had been me.”
“You can triple that sentiment from my end. If I’d gotten to him first, I’d be frustrated, because I couldn’t kill him. I didn’t see him hurt her. While learning of it after is infuriating, it doesn’t have the same effect on the cat. She’s safe. You wrestled him off and pounded on him. Go with her. We’ll meet you there.” Ethan squeezed Dawson’s shoulders.
“I’m just glad someone is coming with me.” Penny reached out and stroked Dawson’s leg.
“About your car. It can’t go. I’ll have Archer drive you over to your house for another one after I take your statements.” John stepped forward.
The ambulance arrived. The paramedics checked her over and loaded her on the gurney. Dawson climbed into the back. He held her hand and growled at the paramedic when he took her vitals. Penny shook her head. He’d better stop that before they reached the hospital, otherwise the staff might tranquilize him just so they could get stuff done without the threat of being mauled.
Chapter Twenty
Penny rubbed the stiff muscles in her neck. After a long day at work with Griffin, a quiet night at home would be good. Apparently, Ethan and Dawson had different plans. Cloth bags sat on the floor at Ethan’s feet. What are they up to? He looked like he’d just gotten home from work. His shirt was partially open and he still wore light gray slacks.
“Did you stop at the store?” She shifted on her feet. None of the bags looked too full or bulky.
“No, peaches, I didn’t.” Ethan strode forward and hugged her. “It’s good to see you again, even if it was only hours ago.”
“I missed you, too.” She leaned into Ethan. “Well, since they’re sitting there and you didn’t go to the store, I’d guess Dawson didn’t. Are we taking them somewhere?”
Her heartbeat slammed against her chest. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. They’d stayed home while she recuperated and there hadn’t been an incident at all.
“Peaches, you go to work and back during the week and every other weekend.” Dawson rubbed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you afraid to leave the house?”
“It’s probably not a good plan. The last few times we’ve left, someone’s either almost gotten hurt or did get hurt.” She swallowed to clear the lump in her throat. It was irrational, but they could be hurt.
“Peaches, we know the stalker’s there. John’s investigating leads from the last attack, although, he won’t tell us more than that. We’re going to stick to the plan. Keep vigilant and watch for a mistake. The man will make one. We don’t let him control our lives.” Dawson tightened his arm around her.
Ethan framed her face in his hands. “Caution isn’t bad, but we won’t let this bastard rule our lives, because of a couple incidents. We’ll live and you’ll have fun.”
“I don’t want any of you hurt, again.” She ran her clammy palms down the pants of her scrub set. “Or anyone else. If he tries something, anyone close to us could get hurt. Bren’s still recovering from that dislocated shoulder.”
“Peaches, we can’t guarantee anything, but we’ll fight him. And we’ll win.” Dawson eased in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Do you believe that?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips and nodded.
“What was that? It was weak. I couldn’t understand it.” Dawson tightened his arms.
“I said yes. Now, where are we going?” She wriggled and tried to turn. His arms banded around her waist, holding her in position. Stubborn cat.
“I think we should make you wait until we get there.” Griffin strolled in and picked up the bags.
“And sometimes, I think you might have a better life if you were neutered.” Penny glowered at Griffin. Those bags didn’t appear to hold much.
Dawson and Ethan laughed. She turned to Ethan.
“No need to get violent, peaches. We’re going swimming. You love swimming.” Ethan grasped her hands.
“You swim?” She raised her brows. Mags had never come with her. “How did you know I love swimming?”
“Maggie told us that you go every chance you get.” Ethan squeezed her hand.
“Yes, we swim. Did you think we couldn’t?” Dawson glided around in front of her.
“Not as in physically couldn’t. I thought it might be a cats and water thing. I’ve invited Maggie to come with me dozens of times. She never did.” She sighed. “Not even for water volleyball.”
“Ah, there’s an incident in Maggie’s past. She doesn’t like going underwater or getting in it with people around her. She’s working on it, but still not there yet.” Ethan took her in his arms. “And we love water. Our cats swim pretty well, but would rather be on dry land, but Griffin’s cat is a pretty good fisher.”
“What can I say? The cat loves brook trout.” Griffin grinned.
“Mags should have told me and I would have stopped bugging her about it.” Penny looked down at the ground.
“Peaches, if Maggie didn’t want you to ask her to swim, she would have said something.” Ethan tipped up her chin.
“You can hash that out with her at a later date. Come on. We’ve arranged for a private pool. The only thing we had to promise was no sex or sexual play in the water.” Ethan brushed his thumb over her lips. “I’m not saying it will be easy, but for the opportunity to give you something you love, we’ll do it.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to resist?” She raised her brow. The heat between them flared to life at the slightest touch.
“We will. After we swim and play, we’ll come back here and have some hot sex in our own home.” Griffin put his arm around her. “But don’t expect me not to touch you. I will try to keep it friendly.”
“We’ve brought a volleyball and our friend has some nets on the pool. I thought we could play a little water polo.” Ethan picked up a bag and passed it to her.
“Uh oh.” She swallowed hard. “Whichever team I’m on will probably get creamed. Maggie’s told me how competitive you three are when it comes to games.”
“Maybe if we were playing with more people, it would get competitive, but not this time. And why would your team get creamed?” Griffin picked up his bag.
“Well, number one, I’m slower. Number two, I know that if you do it, you’re probably really good at it.” She exhaled. “On top of that, we won’t have a goalie so any shot is going in the net unless it’s off-line.”
“No one’s keeping score and we won’t make a big deal about it.” Dawson hugged her. “Now, let’s go. This is about having a good time together.”
She strolled out to the car with them. Wherever they
were going, it must be somewhere with a place for them to change and she’d bet it was an indoor pool.
“Excited?” Dawson asked as Ethan drove.
“Yes, is this a public pool that’s private for tonight?” She glanced over at him.
“Sort of. One of my friends, Paulo, owns a gym. He’s letting us use the pool privately tonight.” Ethan glanced in the rearview mirror.
Dawson lifted his hand and waved it. “The gym is mostly used by shifters and John has a couple of the men who smelled the stalker’s scent here today. Just in case.”
Ethan pulled up in front of a large gym. Ethan and Dawson got out first. Penny peered out the window. No one seemed to be looking at them. People strolled down the sidewalk, but didn’t act suspicious.
Ethan opened her door. “Come on. Grab your bag and let’s go inside. I’m anxious to slip into the pool with you.”
Penny grabbed the bag. She slid out of the car and took Ethan’s hand. A thrill ran through her. Maybe it was time in the water, but the chance to play with all of them, even if they did have to stop short of sex, excited her. Not that she’d dare it even if the provision hadn’t been made. It was a gym and a large one at that. They probably had cameras.
They walked into the building. Upbeat music pulsed through the room. She glanced around. The big open area contained weights, treadmills, and other equipment. Metal clanked and feet pounded on the treadmills.
“They have classes in rooms that way.” Ethan pointed toward a doorway near the right corner of the room.
“What kind of classes?” She glanced over at him.
“We have spin classes, a couple types of dance workouts, PiYo, and some self-defense classes here, as well. We can tailor a workout that focuses on your goals,” a smooth male voice cut in.
“Hi, Paulo.” Ethan turned.
She whirled. A dark-haired man stepped closer. He had golden tanned skin and looked to be in excellent physical shape.
“Hi, Ethan, the pool is ready and clear. I’ve got the private sign out now. This is your woman?” Paulo glanced at her.
“This is Penny. Penny, this is Paulo Oliveri.” Ethan stepped back and gestured to the man.
“Hi, Paulo, it’s great to meet you.” Penny extended her hand.
“It’s good to meet you, too.” Paulo shook it and nodded. “If you decide to use the gym, we have trainers as well as those classes Ethan mentioned.”
“Thank you. Can we set a membership up tonight? Maybe see the schedule for some self-defense classes. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make many classes at the moment, but I’d rather start now.” Penny smiled.
“That sounds good to me. As I said, everything is ready.” Paulo stepped back and quickly helped her get signed up. “Remember our agreement, Ethan.”
“I remember. We’ll have fun, but no sex. We’ve all talked.” Ethan nodded.
“Good. I’ll show you the way.” Paolo’s head dipped and he led them down a hallway toward the back.
A set of double doors opened into the pool. Paulo strolled into the room ahead of them.
“The locker rooms are on that end. Clearly marked male and female.” Paolo glanced at Ethan.
Ethan laughed. “We get it. No sharing changing rooms and the no sex rule goes for there, too. Not a worry. We have our own plans. This is play and relaxation time.”
Paulo left and shut the doors behind him. Penny turned from the door to her men.
“Are you three ready?” She smiled. The pool was so big and that water looked perfect.
“Yes, I am. And I’m sure they are, too. The only thing I’ve been able to think about since I talked to Paulo earlier is getting my hands on you in the water.” Ethan smiled. “Let’s go change clothes.”
“That water looks so good.” She strolled toward the changing rooms.
“It does. Hurry back out.” Griffin put his hand on her shoulder.
“Hurry? You don’t hurry into a woman’s one piece bathing suit.” She shook her head. And unless they’d gone out and gotten her another one, that’s what would be in the bag. “You fight your way into it. Pull, wriggle, tug, and adjust.”
“I wouldn’t mind watching and helping out with that.” Dawson chuckled.
“Yeah, I think we’d break that no sex rule if you did. So better not tempt either of us.” She shook her head.
“Yeah, we probably would.” Dawson sighed. “I’ll see you when you get out.”
She headed into the changing rooms and put her bag down on one of the benches. She dug inside and pulled out a towel, her purple and red swimsuit, pool shoes, a pair of shorts, panties, and a shirt. They’d thought of everything except a bra, but that particular piece of clothing was only their number one priority when it came to taking it off.
After dressing, she slipped into the pool shoes and headed out. Dawson, Griffin, and Ethan already swam in the pool. Dawson swam from one end of the pool to the other, while Griffin tossed a ball to Ethan. When Ethan caught it, Griffin swam toward him. He grabbed for the ball, but missed and managed to push Ethan under the water. Ethan came up and slashed a wave of water into Griffin’s face.
She laughed and eased into the water in the shallow end. The cool water swirled around her legs. She closed her eyes and savored it, before moving into deeper water.
“Hey, peaches, I see you survived the struggle into your suit.” Dawson swam up to her.
“Yeah, it fought valiantly, but I managed to wrangle it into position.” She grinned. “Finish with your laps?”
“I had to do something while I waited for you. Tossing the ball with Griffin always gets out of hand, especially if we’re all three involved.” Dawson grinned.
“You know that doesn’t bode well when you wanted me to play water polo with you three.” She glanced from Dawson back to the two men at the other end of the pool.
“Don’t worry. Griffin won’t be as rough with you. Now, stop trying to chicken out and let’s get started.” Dawson grinned, before he turned and stroked over to the other two.
She shook her head and swam after him. Griffin and Ethan waited. Griffin tossed the ball up into the air and caught it.
“Hello, sweetheart. I love your suit.” Griffin smiled. “That purple is almost the same as the color in your hair.”
“Thank you. I actually got the suit before I put this color in. I had blue earlier in the year.” She pushed her hair back.
“You’d look good in anything, peaches.” Ethan brushed his fingers over her shoulder.
“Come on. Let’s play. You’re on Griffin’s team.” Dawson tugged on a strand of hair.
“Let’s go then.” Griffin tossed the ball up. He pointed to the goal on the far side. “That’s our goal and the other is theirs. I’ll toss this to the middle of the pool and then we can start.”
Griffin tossed the ball toward the middle. “Go.”
Penny stroked for the ball. Ethan and Griffin got to it at about the same time. Ethan grabbed for it. It slipped under the water and popped back up to the surface. Griffin grabbed at it and squirted to the left. She stroked for it, pulling it to her body. Dawson’s hands grabbed her hips.
“Here, peaches.” Griffin waved his hand.
She tossed the ball to Griffin. He stroked off toward the goal with Ethan swimming after him. She stroked sideways to join him, but Dawson held on to her hips.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to grab on and keep holding as the other two try to score a goal.” She stroked his arm.
“Peaches, any time you’re slick and wet, you can bet I’ll take the opportunity to hold on.” Dawson grinned.
A whoop echoed in the pool room. Penny turned her head. Griffin waved his arms in the air.
“Are you sure Griffin got the memo that this isn’t a serious game?” She glanced back at Dawson.
“No, that’s just Griffin. Loud and exuberant.” Dawson shook his head.
“Back to our positions,” Griffin called.
“You have to let go.” She r
aised her brows.
“Doesn’t mean that I won’t get my hands on you again.” Dawson released her and swam back over to Ethan.
Ethan moved close to Dawson. She heard a quiet murmur, but couldn’t make out what was said over the splashes as she swam back. Griffin leaned in close and brushed a kiss over her cheek.
“See, peaches, there are definite advantages to being on your team.” Griffin moved away from her.
“Go!” Ethan’s voice rang in the cavernous room.
She swam toward the ball. Her heart pounded. Griffin got it and darted toward the net. Dawson streaked after him. He batted the ball away. Penny hurried to get it. Ethan stroked up beside her. He so wasn’t taking that. She grabbed for it and Ethan’s arms tangled with hers. The ball squirted to the side. Ethan’s arms curled around her, pulling her close. His palm slid down her back and molded to the curve of her buttocks.
She wriggled. He’d done that deliberately. The sneak. She wrapped her arms around him. Damn, he was so close. A little kiss wouldn’t hurt anything. She leaned in and nipped his lips, before she thrust her tongue against his.
He laughed. Vibrations sent tingles prickling over her skin. His tongue swept against hers, probing and claiming. She twined an arm around his shoulders.
“I’m pretty sure that’s considered a foul.” Dawson’s breath feathered over her ear.
She tensed and pulled back, flailing in the water. Ethan held her tight.
“Not funny, Dawson. I was enjoying that kiss.” Ethan turned and splashed a wave of water at his brother.
Dawson put his hand up to block some of the water, before sweeping a spray right back. “Much longer and you’d be in danger of breaking your word to Paulo.”
Ethan growled and brushed the water out of his face. “I knew how hot I could make her.”
Dawson laughed. “It’s not just her. If she got those legs around your waist, you wouldn’t want to stop until you were balls deep inside of her.”
“Now, back to the game.” Griffin tossed the ball up and down. “You are two behind.”
“Yeah, you don’t have the distraction we do.” Ethan shook his head.
“Hey, I might have kissed you, but you’re the one who wrapped his arms around me.” She narrowed her eyes on the man. So not her fault.
Staking Their Claim Page 16