by Kate Douglas
Jules was smart and usually read people really well, so it was hard to figure out how that could have been the case.
They really needed to get together and talk. Just the four of them, no men allowed.
But not tonight. Tonight, she had a feeling she was going to sleep like the dead. She wondered if her wolf would show up.
CHAPTER 8
Zach Trenton stared at the cell phone in his hand, hoping for a text from Meggie. He missed her. He’d scheduled the annual two-week break for his company without realizing this was the week Meggie would be gone, which meant he didn’t even have work to occupy him.
If only he weren’t so damned worried. She’d been unhappy about something before she left, but he had no idea what it was, and she wasn’t talking.
Nothing was the same without her. He couldn’t put it into words, but somehow she completed all the frayed edges in his world. When Meggie was around, she kept him balanced and functional. Without her, he was a wreck. He’d never told her that. Maybe he should, except in the real world, it was supposed to be the man slaying the dragons. In his world, it was Meggie. If she knew how much he needed her, would she realize what a wimp he was?
He stared at the phone for a few more minutes. Should he or shouldn’t he? This was her week off from him, a week to be with her friends. But he needed her. Plus, when he’d checked out the Feral Passions website, he broke out in a cold sweat. The guys that worked there could do a calendar and make a fortune.
Some women liked to screw around before they finally tied themselves to one guy, and Meg was ten years younger than he was. Was she looking for one last hurrah? He hoped not.
He’d realized, the moment she left, he didn’t share well with others.
He slipped the phone back in his pocket. This week was his gift to Meg. They loved each other. Loving Meg meant trusting her, but …
He reached for his phone. Clenched his fist, left the phone in his pocket, and cursed.
Damn. He was such a wuss.
Trak and Evan had dinner in the oven, and they were both behind the bar, ready and waiting by the time the hikers straggled back to the lodge. They had at least an hour before dinner would be ready. Evan fixed chilled caffe mochas and iced spiced tea, passed out a couple of fruit juices to the tired, hot, and dusty ladies, and mixed up a margarita for Jules. Trak leaned against the bar while Evan handled the drinks, listening to the laughter, the sometimes raunchy comments, trying to judge whether or not the women were having a good time. That was something that had totally cracked him up—just how off-color a group of women could be when they got together without men.
At least everything he heard was positive about their visit so far.
He figured it would only take one bad review to destroy the goodwill they’d been building all summer, and he worried about things going up online that he might be missing. At least Brad had called a little earlier—he’d gotten Trak’s message, and since they were already headed home, they’d decided to cut out the last couple of stops and drive straight through.
That meant he’d have Cherry back at her computer, Brad running the kitchen, and Cain giving him grief. He almost missed the bastard. Almost.
Tuck leaned against the bar across from Trak and tapped him on the forehead. “What are you scowling about?”
Trak laughed. “Brad and Cherry are due home tomorrow night, and I just realized it means that Cain will be back, too.”
“You just don’t give that poor bastard a break, do you?” Tuck parked his ass on the bar stool and leaned close. “I’ve always wondered … what’s your problem with him, anyway?”
Trak ran a white cloth over the polished surface, scrubbing at the shine with a vengeance. “Haven’t you noticed? He’s an alpha. A stronger alpha than I am, and yet he defers to me, doesn’t challenge me. Even bares his throat when I bitch at him. What’s wrong with him?”
Tuck had the balls to laugh out loud at that. Trak ground his teeth.
“Absolutely nothing,” Tuck said. “He’s a very smart, decent guy. Alpha or not, it’s obvious he doesn’t want the responsibility of the pack, but there’s nothing wrong with that. And Cherry and Brad both love him, so he can’t be too horrible, right? I think you’ve just gotten in the habit of always thinking he’s out to get you.”
“Decent? There’s nothing decent about Cain Boudin. He’s an asshole.”
“He’d be an asshole if he wanted your pack. He doesn’t. He does what you ask him to do and always goes the extra mile with our wild brothers. Let it go, Trak. It’s not you. You’re a good guy, but this private vendetta you’ve got against Cain bothers all of us. If he’s acting like a shit, we’ll call him on it, but it’s reached a point where I’m afraid the guests might notice.”
Crap. He hadn’t even considered that. “Have I ever said anything to him in front of a guest? I don’t recall—”
“Expressions can say a lot more than words, and you get a look around him that’s like a scorpion crawled up your ass. It’s not pretty.”
“A scorpion?” He laughed at that one. Sometimes Tuck came up with the weirdest shit. “I didn’t realize I was so obvious.”
“Have you ever sat down and talked to him? Asked him why he submits even though you both know he’s the more powerful wolf?”
“No.” Sighing, Trak stared out toward the trees. “I think I’m afraid that he’s going to tell me he’s not really submitting, that he’s pretending to, that he doesn’t respect me enough to mean it.” He turned to Tuck, fully aware he’d never talked about this before. Not to anyone. “Lawz resents the hell out of the fact that he, as the elder brother, was born a true beta. He feels he was cheated of his birthright. When I came along, alpha from the womb, he was outraged. I don’t think he’s ever forgiven me. It’s come between us all our lives. Then along comes Cain, a guy who’s stronger than both of us, and I think it sort of shook my sense of who I was, that maybe my leadership within the pack wasn’t set in stone. I guess I’m always waiting for him to make a play for the top spot.”
“Not gonna happen.” Tuck took the mug of beer Evan handed him. The women had all gone back to their cabins while he and Trak had been talking. “Thanks, Ev.” He turned back to Trak. “Cain’s at peace. Whatever happened in his past, whatever drove him here to our pack, isn’t driving him anymore. Not since he and Brad got together, and especially since Cherry came into their lives. He’s got what he wants. A family, two mates who love him unconditionally. We should all be so lucky.”
“He got kicked out of his pack in Idaho,” Trak said, trusting Tuck and Evan to keep what he said confidential. “Do you remember when he showed up?” When both men shrugged, Trak explained. “It was shortly after World War II, and he’d served in Europe with the US Army. Buried his wolf nature and went in as a foot soldier, but he was a decorated vet when he got here, up front about getting kicked out of his pack for his overly aggressive tendencies.”
“Was he a young wolf when that happened?”
“Yeah.” Trak remembered the first time he met Cain. He was young and cocky and scared to death after coming out of the service without a pack to go home to. “He was born in 1910, got kicked out shortly after his first shift. He was late shifting—it happened in 1942. I guess he figured the army, with the war raging, was a natural segue, sort of trading one pack for another.” It wasn’t unusual for young wolves to turn aggressive shortly after their first shift, which happened in their late twenties or early thirties. It was like the power went to their heads. A lot of them didn’t survive their first couple of years—they challenged older, more mature males and ended up dead. Cain had challenged the pack alpha, but the man had been a good leader, and rather than killing the young wolf, he’d exiled him from the pack.
It was the only way he could give Cain a second chance.
Cain had come to Trak’s small pack after he got out of the service, humbled by the death he’d witnessed, the killing he’d been part of, and begged Trak for a spot. He’d adm
itted what an idiot he’d been, how thankful he was that his alpha had elected not to kill him, but rather sent him on his way with orders never to return. Trak had allowed him in, fully aware Cain was a powerful alpha, with the caveat that if he screwed up or even hinted at a challenge, he was out.
But Trak had never allowed himself to trust Cain, not even when Cain and Brad formed a partnership that was as powerful as any male-female mated pair.
Adding Cherry had made it even stronger. Trak still didn’t trust him, but Tuck was right. He hadn’t given Cain a chance, either. He grabbed Tuck’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Thank you.” He glanced away to make eye contact with Evan as witness, then focused on Tuck.
“You’re right. I never gave him a chance. From now on, I’ll try.” He shrugged, feeling just a bit sheepish, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all for an alpha. “You know you’ll always have my permission to tell me when I’m acting like a dick.”
Both Evan and Tuck cracked up.
“You can count on it,” Tuck said. “We’ve got your back.”
“The thing is …” Evan glanced at Tuck as if for support, but then he turned and made eye contact with Trak, which wasn’t natural for him. “Trak, we admire the job you do with the pack. You’re a good leader, and other than the issues with Cain, you’re always fair.” He grinned and winked at Tuck. “Well, mostly fair, except when it comes to the housekeeping duties in the cabins. I want to know how you always manage to get scheduled on off days when there’s no one staying.”
“Not going there. I think this meeting is adjourned.” He stood, swept off an imaginary hat and took a bow, and left both Tuck and Evan laughing. Now all he had to do was remember not to give Cain any more grief than he deserved—though Trak was positive he definitely deserved at least a little.
Monday night
Jules left with Armando and Drew, Dar took off with Lawz, Elle and Tuck left hand in hand, and Meg missed Zachary so much she wanted to cry.
Trak stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a cotton towel. He set the towel aside, reached under the bar, and pulled out a large bottle. “Want to join me on the deck for a glass of port?”
She laughed. “You and your port. I see you’ve waited until everyone’s gone before bringing out the bottle.”
“Busted.” Laughing, he grabbed two glasses. “I love the stuff, but it’s really expensive. The guys would drink it like fruit juice if I didn’t keep an eye on them. C’mon out and tell me how the hike went. I expected more conversation tonight.”
“I think they’re all exhausted. I know I am.” Meg reached for a handful of chocolates and tucked them into her pocket.
Trak paused at the door, bottle and two glasses in hand. “Would you rather skip? If you’re tired, I can walk you back to your cabin now.”
She shook her head. “Honestly? I’m not ready to go back to an empty cabin, knowing my best friends are all bunking up with someone.” She laughed, “Or, in Jules’s case, two someones.”
“Well,” he drawled. “I’d offer to bunk up with you, but I don’t think that’s what you want.”
“Thanks, Trak. You’re right.” She stared out the front window, at the darkness beyond and the little twinkling white lights that lit up the trails to the cabins. Then she pulled it together and smiled at him. “That was something I actually wondered. If I was exposed to a bunch of good-looking guys, would I be tempted? And it’s weird, because, of any of the men here, I should be tempted by you, but there’s no chemistry.” She led the way to the door and held it open since he had his hands full. “I never realized before just how important that is, but I see it with our friends, with Elle and Tuck, and it’s definitely there with Dar and Lawson. I guess the big surprise is Jules, Manny, and Drew. Wonders never cease.”
She took a seat at one of the small tables in the shadows. Trak sat across from her and poured a bit of port into each of the glasses. Then he looked around and shook his head. “Damn. I forgot the chocolate.”
He started to rise, but Meg touched his hand. “Sit. I didn’t.” She pulled her stash out of her pocket.
Trak held his glass out, and Meg tapped the rim of hers to his. “Here’s to friendship, Meg. I’m enjoying your company, and honestly? It’s nice to have an attractive, intelligent woman to hang out with and avoid all the drama.” He took a sip of his port, and there was a definite twinkle in his eyes. “Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me about this guy you’re going to marry. And you are going to marry him, you know. I can tell by the way your eyes light up whenever you or any of your friends mention his name. You definitely have all the signs of a woman in love.”
“I do love him. But …” And she told him. Everything about her fears that Zach couldn’t love her, that he didn’t really mean it, that she wasn’t anyone special and he was. And when she was finished and feeling lower than dirt, Trak just stared at her with a look of absolute disbelief.
Finally, he took another swallow of his port, looked her in the eye, and said, quite plainly, “You realize that’s a pile of shit, don’t you?”
She snorted. Not at all attractive when she was trying to act the grown-up here, but he looked so serious and his comment was just so … male. Finally, she got herself under control. “Why?”
“Well, for one thing, it’s usually the guy who gets cold feet, because you know we’re all a bunch of pussies when it comes to commitment, and for another, none of your arguments hold water. So what if your parents didn’t plan you when you came along? That doesn’t make you any less valid or important. And if they’re too self-centered and stupid to acknowledge the wonderful woman you are, then that’s their problem, not yours. Why would their lack of parental abilities have anything to do with the woman you are now? You’re an amazing woman, Meg, and obviously Zach is smart enough to have figured it out. Look, why don’t you invite him here? There’s no extra charge, and the bed in your room is certainly big enough.”
“Do you think he’d come?”
“Of course. It’s not late; it’s barely nine o’clock. You said his company is closed for the rest of the week. Go into the office off the kitchen and use the phone in there. I’ll wait out here and give you privacy, but tell him you miss him and the bed is real empty without him here. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”
Nodding silently, Meg went into the little office where she stared at the phone for way too long. She’d never taken the first step before.
Ten minutes later, Trak walked in. “You didn’t call, did you?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.” She picked up her glass and finished the rest of her port. “Would you walk me back to my cabin now? Please?”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want.”
She nodded and left her glass on the desk. He took her hand and led her out of the lodge and down the trail to her cabin. Walked her up to the front door.
“Are you going to be okay?”
She looked at him. Really looked. He was so handsome with his neatly trimmed dark hair and the short beard. Well over six feet tall with a lean build similar to Zach’s, a fun sense of humor, and a compassionate manner. If not for Zachary, would she want an affair with a man like Trak?
What would his kisses feel like? The thrust of his cock entering her, the weight of his long, lean body over hers? “Will you do something for me, Trak? Will you kiss me?”
He ran his hand over her hair. “Is this a test?”
“In a way. I never had a serious boyfriend before Zach. I honestly have never kissed another man. I don’t think high school boyfriends count. I guess I’m curious.”
“I can deal with curiosity.” He cupped her shoulders and looked into her eyes, then he tilted her chin, leaned close, and covered her mouth with his. His lips were firm and yet so mobile, moving over hers with gentleness that seemed the antithesis of the man she’d been getting to know. His tongue tested the seam between her lips until she opened for him, turned to meet his kiss, the thrust of his to
ngue, the warmth of his big hands stroking her back, pulling her close.
She felt the heat of his erection through the long skirt she wore, heard the thundering race of his heart, tasted the port on his tongue and the hint of chocolate. There was no doubt in her mind he was aroused, but as much as she enjoyed the kiss, he wasn’t Zach. Her body didn’t respond.
When he finally pulled away, it seemed so apropos that both of them were smiling.
“For the record, I truly love kissing you, Meg, but your body tells me your brain wasn’t nearly as involved as it should be. I bet all of you is a hundred percent into whatever your Zachary chooses to do with you.”
“You’re right.” She felt like laughing, but that would be so rude. Still, he’d answered an important question. Zach and only Zach. No one else. “Thank you. Please don’t hate me. I mean, I could tell that you were …” She stumbled over that. Turned on? Aroused? She shrugged.
Trak laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’m a guy. It’s part of our makeup. Pretty woman, soft lips, warm kisses.” He paused, glanced at her chest, and grinned. “Magnificent breasts. Boners happen.” He cupped her shoulders again, leaned close, and kissed her, a short, sweet kiss good night. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Do you think the wolf will come back?”
“If you leave the door ajar, he might show up.” He reached around her and opened the door. “I think they go cabin to cabin, looking for a warm bed. Good night, Meg. Sweet dreams.”
She watched him walk toward the forest and thought for a moment, by his measured walk and the slope of his shoulders, that he looked lonely. But that couldn’t be. He had his pack and the pick of any woman who came through Feral Passions.
Too bad. This week, he got stuck with the engaged one.
Jules couldn’t stop shivering. Her logical mind told her she was absolutely terrified, but her inner hussy knew the truth. She’d never been so aroused in her life, merely walking between two men.