by M. L. Briers
“TV,” Geri shrugged. “And it should only take a week or two for the alpha’s balls to come back down from his Adam’s apple.” She berated Marley’s actions once more, deflecting her own discomfort in being put under a microscope for her suggestion.
“Can we get off the alpha’s balls?” Marley bit out, feeling more and more guilty the longer that they talked about it.
“Question is; can the alpha get off his balls. Last I looked the man was cradling them like they were pups,” Geri sniggered.
“So the real question still stands …” Sage shrugged. “What now?”
All three women stared into their wine glasses and sighed.
~
~
~
“Should we pick him up?” Luke couldn’t help but chuckle as he stared down at his brother – the alpha – red faced, and panting hard.
The man’s blood was healing him, but he still looked decidedly pained and definitely not happy.
“The mood he’s in … I’m not going anywhere near him right now,” Chance offered back.
“Yeah,” Luke nodded. “Probably not a good idea.”
“So,” J.C started and both men snapped their attention towards him. “Welcome, feel free to look around. The fridge is full, what’s mine is yours.” He teased – unable to resist the temptation to wind up the male mates, especially now that the alpha was down holding his crown jewels.
How often did a man get the chance?
“The witches are ours,” Luke bit out.
“Your mates, my friends, and they won’t like it one little bit if you try to put your big old paws down about that,” he warned, grinning harder at the rock and the hard place that these men had found themselves in.
He hadn’t had this much fun in decades.
“Friends you say?” Chance narrowed his eyes on the man.
“Did I stutter, cos I don’t think I did?” J.C consider it. “Nope, didn’t stutter.”
“So, you’re not sleeping with my brother’s mate?” Luke shot back.
“Which brother?” J.C grinned harder. Both men shuffled on their feet. “No, I’m just pulling your leash.” He chuckled.
“You – couldn’t – have – made – that – clearer – earlier,” the alpha ground out.
“Oh, look whose feeling better,” J.C teased on a smirk as he watched Josh try to push up to his hands and knees on the floor.
The alpha groaned long and hard. He leaned his forehead against the floor with his backside up in the air, and blew out a long, steadying breath.
“That’s not a position I’d recommend. These witches can get pretty zap happy at times.” J.C offered.
“You – don’t – say,” Josh growled as he lifted his head – the muscles straining in his neck, and other places, as he stared up at the smirking vampire and longed to plant his fist in the man’s face.
“Well, I thought I’d tell you sooner … rather than later,” J.C offered back with another smirk to the sound of another long, deep growl that rumbled from the alpha.
“I really – don’t think I’m – going to like you,” Josh bit out.
“Me?” J.C waved an absent hand. “Nah, everybody loves me.” He shrugged.
“Define – loves,” Luke rumbled out another growl as he eyed him with suspicion.
~
~
~
“So, we stick together?” Geri nodded.
It was a plan. Finally. It had only taken a bottle and a half of wine to figure out. Not that she was complaining about consuming the wine, she considered it her duty to live up to that five a day fruit plan that people were always going on about.
“Yep.” Sage gave a low, slow giggle. She was definitely a little merry in her cups. Then she frowned, turned on her heels, and headed for the living room door.
“Where you going?” Geri whispered as if her question was a secret.
Sage turned back and considered it. It took a moment.
“Oh,” she said on something that felt like an epiphany. “Toilet.” She whispered back.
“Alone?” Geri said, half questioning her choices and half reminding her of the pact they’d only just made.
“Nooo, you’re both coming too,” Sage gave a slow shake of her head.
“I’m not holding your hand while you go to the damn toilet,” Marley shrugged. It wasn’t happening.
She’d never been one of those dance around your handbags – visit the bathroom together – girls, and she wasn’t about to start now.
“I’ll go,” Geri held up her hand and started off, tripping over her own feet and catching herself before she managed to face plant the sofa.
“Don’t get lost,” Marley snorted.
“That would be bad,” Geri offered, more than a little worse for the wine – literally.
“Oh, he’s a big one!” Sage pulled up short as she reached the doorway – there was one, big, alpha male standing there glaring in at Marley. “You might wanna rethink your decision to come with us.”
“I’m fine,” Marley assured them.
“Could you move?” Geri whispered up at him, and the alpha turned his eyes down to the two witches – he could scent the wine in the air, and both witches looked a little blurry eyed.
“Before she wets herself.” Sage snorted a chuckle.
Geri huffed and nudged her in the back, sending her tittering on her high heels head first towards the alpha.
Josh caught the woman before she managed to plough into him and hurt herself. With his large hands wrapped around her upper arms; he steadied her on her feet and set her back away from him with a grunt of annoyance. Then he sidestepped into the room to allow them to leave.
“Thank you,” Geri whispered again as Sage reached out a hand, fisted her shirt, and yanked her from the room.
“Do you have a habit of kneeing people – if the answer is yes then I’ll buy protection,” Josh started and Marley frowned back at him.
“Not normally, but I’d make that purchase just to be on the safe side if I were you.”
She knew one thing – she wasn’t going to be intimidated by his height, strength, or the low growl that rumbled through that big, muscled chest of his that had felt so good under her palms – she was sure that her skin was still tingling from the encounter.
“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot.” Josh offered an olive branch – he just hoped that she wasn’t going to hit him with it.
Marley frowned harder. She placed her glass down on the table and mulled over his words.
She’d expected him to come in with both guns blazing. Growling, ranting about his balls, and as angry as hell. Not that she’d blame him…
She’d been ready for that. Ready to stand her ground and come out fighting too.
This … not so much.
CHAPTER EIGHT
~
“Maybe.” Marley shrugged.
“Maybe we should start again,” Josh offered.
“You wanna do the whole kick in the balls thing again, so soon?” She shot back and watched him crack a smile.
That was an even bigger surprise. She’d expected his male, alpha ego to be as bruised as his balls.
“I thought we could skip that part.”
There was a light of amusement playing in his brown eyes and it made him look softer – not as intimidating. She guessed neither of them could do anything about his build or the sheer strength and potency of the man.
Certainly nothing could be done to rid him of the testosterone that surged through his system. But maybe if he had a sense of humour then he wasn’t all bad.
“For now?”
“Forever … hopefully.” Josh offered.
He didn’t much like her idea of how to end a discussion, but then he’d probably overstepped the line there a little himself.
It had just been the thought of her in the arms of that … man. His beast growled long and hard … he certainly didn’t want to go there again in his imagination.
&nb
sp; But the vampire had called them friends, and for now, he had to accept that as gospel. He hadn’t sensed any deceit from the man, and although he didn’t know him well, he kind of assumed that the vampire would have loved to have dangled an intimate affair with his mate in front of him like bait for him to get his claws into.
His mate’s rather rash and definitely painful reaction had him leaning towards believing that there was nothing more than friendship between them. Even if friendship with a vampire seemed a little strange to him, he guessed opposites attracted in strange ways.
He also wasn’t about to forget that she’d kneed him in the balls … but he could forgive it, considering his own behaviour at the time.
“Maybe.” Marley said again. She wasn’t about to commit herself to anything, even something as simple as that.
The alpha was up to something. Mating. Wooing. Trying to throw her off track and allow her to take down her guard so that he could slip beneath the wall of steel that she’d put up between them, she could just feel it in her bones.
Well, she was more than on to him. She definitely had his number and she wasn’t about to fall for it.
Don’t think you can wind me around that little finger of yours, alpha.
I’ve got it covered.
I’m not a starry eyed teen … Those chocolate brown eyes aren’t going to make my stomach flip-flop when you look at me … maybe a little, but that’s human nature and lust…
Lust … oh boy … lust is bad, as is desire, and need, and everything that goes along with that mating pull that fate put between us … and those chocolate brown eyes…
Sexy body, muscles upon muscles, and a hard, thick…
Don’t go there … She cautioned herself.
That’s what fate wants … fate wants you to be wrapped up in the whole yummy package and forget yourself ... forget that you need to stay focused … one step ahead of those big old feet of his, on those nicely muscled legs …
Damn it!
Josh watched her with interest. The woman’s face sure could tell a story and it was certainly doing that right in front of him.
He didn’t know if it was the wine talking and loosening up her emotions to display them on her face like a book … or if she naturally did that anyway – but he liked it, it made her easier to read, and he’d be able to use that in future to guide his own reactions.
“I get a feeling that wooing you isn’t going to be the easiest thing in the world.”
“I’d say you have good instincts, Alpha,” Marley said.
The last thing on her mind at that stage of her life had been men.
A man. The one. Someone to have kids with – grow old with.
It definitely hadn’t been finding a shifter mate.
Fate had thrown up obstacles in her path before and she’d batted them away. Funny, but she really didn’t think that this time it was going to be that easy.
He wanted to woo her, and she wanted anything but … and then there was fate.
Marley sighed inwardly – you couldn’t fight fate – well, you could, but you never ended up on the winning side of that battle.
~
~
~
“I’m not going in there with you,” Geri said on a giggle as Sage stood at the bathroom door and practically crossed her legs at the ankles, bouncing slightly like she had springs on her feet.
“You wanna stay out there … alone? Be my guest.” Sage tossed up a shoulder and slammed the door in Geri’s face.
Geri let out a snort at her friend’s attitude and rolled her shoulder against the wall to turn and look back down the corridor … and there he was – Chance – staring right back at her with a smirk on his lips and looking every inch the predator.
Geri span back towards the door and attacked it with a closed fist, hammering against the wood.
“Let me in … let me in!” She yelled.
“Too late,” Sage chuckled from inside. “I’m already at the main event.” She sounded more than relieved.
“Let me in or I’m going to batter down this door,” Geri hissed back, flicking a look back over her shoulder, and shrieking a little in the back of her throat when he started to stalk towards her.
“You batter that door down now, and so help me I’ll put a spell on you that’ll have you tasting like your mother’s fried chicken – see how your mate likes that,” Sage warned.
“Go ahead – my mother was a lousy cook!” Geri hissed…
“But I’ll bet you can cook up a storm,” Chance’s deep tone rumbled through her body and she rolled her eyes up in her head and groaned inwardly at just how good his heat felt as he came up behind her…
“Why … because I’m fat?” Geri bit out.
“You’re not fat, you’re curvy,” he growled, deeper, longer, and hungrier, “and boy do those curves look good on you.”
Okay, as it goes – he didn’t do too badly with that answer… She noted, quite pleased to hear that a man appreciated her … extra curvy status.
The sound of Sage spitting out a snigger from inside the bathroom annoyed her so. Finally, she’d found a man that Sage couldn’t snag for her own, and she enjoyed knowing that – feeling that security within herself.
“Nice line, but I’m not biting,” Geri said, a little put out by her friend’s reaction, and starting to feel a little self-conscious – was it her that he liked or the mating pull that made him like her?
It was the chicken and the egg all over again.
“I’m biting,” Chance whispered against her ear and her panties nearly dropped down as fast as her jaw.
Damn, but that’s … noooo! … That’s not … yes, yes it is, it’s very …
Hot, damn it.
He’s hot, that’s hot, and now I’m hot…
Who turned the heating up to sauna?
“Punch his fangs down the back of his throat,” Sage yelled and that snapped Geri’s attention back to her friend.
“Well, now just hold on a minute, let’s hear him out.” Geri giggled like a schoolgirl on her first date.
“Someone’s got their head turned,” Sage teased.
“Bite me,” Geri hissed, and the sound of a hungry growl right beside her ear made her swallow down hard.
“I’d say filter before opening mouth,” Sage spluttered another chuckle at her expense.
CHAPTER NINE
~
Marley lifted the bottle of scotch and offered it towards him. In the grand scheme of things she highly doubted that the man – shifter or not – alpha or not – wasn’t as surprised and blown away by finding his mate as she was, maybe even more so given what was on the line for him.
“While I normally never turn down a good Scotch, I think I need to keep a clear head, and I don’t think you want to get in a car with me if I’ve been drinking,” Josh offered back.
He could have explained to her how much of that bottle it would take him to get even slightly drunk and dangerous behind the wheel of a car, but it was easier not to have too.
“Heads up, alpha. I don’t want to get in a car with you full stop,” Marley shrugged as she returned the bottle to the side.
“You’ll be coming back to pack land with me,” he said.
His tone sounded a little too demanding and definite for her liking and she frowned back at him.
“Heads up, alpha. Telling a witch, a woman, what she’s going to be doing is like holding out a red rag to a bull.”
“The name’s Josh – and should I be taking notes?”
Marley went to open her mouth to give him a sarcastic rebuttal, but at that exact moment a slow smile slowly brewed on his face and she found herself watching it as it spread. She was transfixed.
His eyes became lighter. He looked as sexy as hell and she couldn’t fault that, not one little bit.
“Well … Josh, I’d say taking notes is one thing, but can you put them to good use or are you stuck in your ways – as in – is your head lodged firmly up your backsi
de?”
She knew the alpha mentality – it was his way, no ifs, no ands, and no buts, and she certainly wasn’t going to be singing from that hymn sheet any time soon – maybe never.
If he hadn’t noticed already, she was Fae, a witch, and the Fae danced to their own tune.
“That would be an awkward position to be in, don’t you think?” Josh asked, not dropping that smile for one moment.
“Am I allowed to think in your world?” She lifted her chin in defiance, just in case he wasn’t sure where she was at with her reasoning.
Josh started forward, slowly, he didn’t want to worry her, and he certainly didn’t want another knee in the balls. Every step that he took made his beast calmer, made him calmer.
Sure, he’d had other things on his mind, like the pain at his groin, since he’d let her out of his arms, but still, somewhere in the back of his mind he wanted her right back there. The woman was a firebrand, and he’d like to hold that fire within his hands.
“You can do anything you like in my world, sweetheart. As long as it doesn’t endanger you or the pack,” he said, and it sounded sincere enough.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the same kind of ear that he had to listen for deceit.
“Sweetheart?” She tipped her head to one side and questioned his sanity with a rise of her eyebrows.
“Marley,” he said, leaning in towards her and half whispering to make her ears prick up, centre her attention right on him.
It was a lousy trick – to draw her in like that, but he wanted to woo her, and all was fair in love and war. She was a witch – that meant that he needed all the help that he could get.
“You remembered my name – impressive,” she said, and she couldn’t help the smile that drew the corners of her lips up. He watched that smile grow, transfixed by it, by her.
“Well, you are my mate,” he offered back.
“Don’t rub salt in the wounds,” she teased.
“Ouch!”
“Still doesn’t hurt as much as a kick in the balls though, right?”