Had the world gone mad? “How could I?”
“How could you not?” Ezekiel argued right back. “I’ve been your shadow for years.”
“How is that supposed to translate into you wanting me to be your mate? Hell, you’ve been Daniel’s friend for even longer,” she pointed out. “Does that mean you want to mate with him too? Is that what’s going on here? Am I supposed to be a beard for you two?”
Ezekiel’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“Hell no,” Daniel retorted in the same instant.
“Don’t use that tone with me, Daniel. It was a reasonable assumption.” That apparently was way off the mark. Thank God. Yvonne didn’t know if she could handle much more right now.
“We don’t want each other, Yvonne.” By Ezekiel’s exasperated tone, Yvonne could tell he was losing patience. “We want you. And if you’d look past your accusations and anger you’d admit you want us too.”
“Oh, suddenly what I want matters to you?”
“It’s always mattered,” Daniel said softly.
“Ha,” she scoffed. She didn’t believe them for a second.
“What I don’t know is why you’re upset.” Ezekiel’s tone was anything but calm now. In fact, he seemed furious. “Be truthful, Yvonne. Are you mad I picked you or are you upset I want Daniel to join us?”
“What I’m mad about is the lack of forewarning. There is no reason under the sun the three of us couldn’t have talked about this before now.” Her voice was filled with anger and humiliation, but she couldn’t help it. With these two, she always wore her emotions on her sleeve. “Before you made me cry every night for two weeks, because I thought you were going to marry someone else.”
“Cry?” Ezekiel bit out through clenched teeth.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. It won’t ever happen again.” She couldn’t do this. She was too vulnerable where they were concerned. “I’m out of here.” Done with the whole sordid mess, Yvonne went around the island and headed for the door, intent on escape. Her plans were waylaid though by Daniel, who grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her over to him.
“We never meant to hurt or embarrass you, baby,” Daniel said. “Nor did we mean to make you cry.”
“But you did.” She glanced over at Ezekiel, who had moved up behind her and to the side a bit, blocking her other exit strategy. “Both of you. I thought I was going to lose Ezekiel to his mate, and you, Daniel, would just lose interest in hanging out if he wasn’t with us.”
“You figured wrong,” Daniel said firmly. “On all counts. I could never lose interest in you. How could I? You’re the most interesting person I know.”
That was news to her. “Am not.”
“The hell you aren’t. You’re also funny, sexy as all get out and pretty much the type of person I want to be like when I grow up.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Don’t you remember what I said, Yvonne?” Daniel asked. She shook her head, unsure what he was referring to. “If Ezekiel hadn’t picked you for a mate, I would have pursued you myself. I’m not in this because I want to help out a friend. I’m here because I’m in love with a friend. You.”
“Love?”
“Yes, and he’s not the only one.”
Stunned, Yvonne spun around to stare at Ezekiel, who took one look at her face and chuckled. “Why are you shocked? I did ask you to be my mate.”
“No. You told me ‘you picked me’. You didn’t ask me shit.”
Ezekiel arched a brow. “Now you’re grasping at straws.”
“No, I’m not.” Not entirely anyway.
“Fine then. Formalities aside, I wouldn’t have asked you to share my life if I didn’t love you.”
“Mating isn’t always a love match.”
“Ours is. You know I’m not one to speak flowery phrases. I’ve never been good with words, but I love you. More than life itself.” Ezekiel’s words weren’t poetic, but they did get right to the heart of the matter. “And I think you love us too.”
Daniel moved closer behind her as Ezekiel flanked her from the other side, effectively trapping Yvonne between the two of them. “Don’t you, Yvonne?” Ezekiel brought his hands to her waist and pulled her flush against his body as Daniel brushed her hair off one shoulder and gently placed his lips against her nape. They held her more intimately than either ever had before, and she was damned if she didn’t enjoy it. “Tell me you don’t want to be like this, in the middle of us, forever, and I’ll walk away. It will break my heart to do it, but I would. For you.”
To think he said he wasn’t good with words. “I…I…”
Daniel’s tongue dashed across her skin, stealing all reason from her mind. Gasping, she grabbed hold of Ezekiel for balance and for the sheer pleasure of touching him.
“Say it. Tell us to go,” Ezekiel said.
She wasn’t saying any such thing. Closing her eyes, Yvonne tilted her head to the side, giving Daniel free rein as she dug her nails into Ezekiel’s arms and pulled him closer to her.
“Say it,” Ezekiel ordered softly. “This is the last chance I’m going to give you.”
Yvonne opened her eyes and stared at Ezekiel, whose golden eyes were swimming with passion. She had a choice here. She could either keep punishing them all by denying what the three of them so obviously wanted. Or she could give in and experience the joy of being with the two men she loved, and maybe punish them later. With rope, and kinky toys. “Hmm…last chance, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s probably a good thing I showed up when I did.” Lehi’s statement had the three of them turning to stare at the doorway where the older werewolf was standing.
Busted.
“Your dad is a cock blocker.” Daniel loved Lehi like a second father, but right now he could have cheerfully strangled the other man.
“Tell me about it.”
“And he has the worst timing known to man or werewolf for that matter.” Daniel paused in the middle of his rant to signal the bartender for another round. If he wasn’t going to get laid tonight, the least he could do was get drunk. “Things were beginning to look up.”
“I know,” Ezekiel said dryly. “I was there too.”
So true, yet Daniel was the only one ranting and raving. Here they were at damn near midnight, snuggled up next to a bar instead of Yvonne. Life was unfair on so many different levels. They’d had her. He knew they did. Yvonne had been on the verge of giving in when Lehi had stormed in and blown everything to hell and back.
To make matters worse, Lehi had walked her to her car like an overbearing chaperon and waited with the men as she drove off. To Daniel’s annoyance, Yvonne let Lehi, and she didn’t even offer a word of complaint. Not one. Instead she chose to meekly leave without a backward glance. She even seemed a little relieved to go home. Alone. Then, to add insult to injury, Lehi ordered the two men to stay away from her tonight to give her some time to think.
Time to think! That was the last thing Daniel wanted to do. He knew without a doubt if given the opportunity Yvonne would come up with a million and one reasons why the three of them shouldn’t be together. That was why they needed to strike while the iron was hot and claim her, body and soul, before she erected any more walls.
She loved them. He knew she did, despite the fact she was the only one of the trio who had yet to say the words. There was time for that though. Plenty of it. First, however, he and Ezekiel were going to have to get past her doorway, and there was no way of doing that without earning them Lehi’s ire. Then again, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered why the fuck he cared if Lehi was pissed off. Lehi wasn’t his father or his Alpha. In no way, shape or form was the other man the boss of Daniel or his cock.
And speaking of his dick, sharing Yvonne with Ezekiel was appealing on so many different levels. The idea of making love with her at the same time Ezekiel did was the sexiest thing he could imagine. The mere thought of her beautiful brown body sandwiched between their lightly ta
nned ones was enough to get him hard in a second. The three of them were so close it seemed only natural their relationship would take this next turn.
Together.
But if they couldn’t do it together, then Daniel would be more than willing to take one for the team and be first up to bat. He didn’t need Ezekiel with him to make love with Yvonne. It would be nice if his friend was part of it, but it wasn’t a necessity. If the other man wanted to be an obedient drone, more power to him.
Looking into the mirror behind the bar, Daniel met Ezekiel’s gaze. “Explain to me again why I have to be the one to wait when it was your father who gave his word about you not pressuring her to be your mate.”
“Because I’ll kill you if you touch her without me.”
“Oh yeah. Now I remember.” The whole his-friend-could-turn-into-a-scary-monster-and-kill-him-with-one-swipe-of-his-paw put things into perspective for Daniel. He could either sit here in the bar and complain about not getting the girl, or he could go after her and risk life and limb. It wasn’t really much of a choice when he thought about it. Life wasn’t worth anything if he was without the woman he loved.
Daniel waited until the bartender placed fresh bottles of beer in front of them and wandered away before speaking again. “Look, when we first broached the subject a year ago, I begrudgingly agreed to wait until the next claiming challenge arose before we approached her. Well guess what, the deadline has come and passed and we’re still not with her. I’m done with delays. I don’t want to wait. No,” he said more firmly. “I’m not going to wait. If you want to turn furry and take this outside, then let’s do it, but nothing except death is going to keep me from her.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Ezekiel picked up his bottle and took a swig. And that was it. He didn’t push his stool back from the bar and toss Daniel ass over head out the window. He just swirled his ale around his bottle and tapped his foot in time to the cheesy eighties hair-band music playing from the beat-up jukebox sitting in the corner of the bar.
“O…kay then.” Daniel was puzzled by his friend’s easy acceptance of his statement but pleased neither would have to die tonight. “That’s settled.”
“Great.” Ezekiel’s tone was casual, but his eyes were lit with humor. “Nice speech by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“Been practicing it long?”
Daniel’s mouth twitched with amusement, unable to resist being affected by Ezekiel’s lighthearted reply. Others might have thought Daniel was the jokester of the two, but Ezekiel had the ability to turn shit into sunshine with a simple turn of a phrase. “Since the drive over. Why, did it seem too preachy?”
“No, the delivery was very smooth.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m not joking, by the way.” Daniel twisted on his barstool and focused all of his attention on his friend. He was fine and dandy with Ezekiel’s laid-back attitude, but he didn’t want his friend to think for a second he wouldn’t take or give a beating for Yvonne. “I’m not waiting three days.”
Ezekiel turned his head so they were facing one another. “Can you wait ten minutes longer?”
“Why?” Confused, he stared at his friend, unsure what a few minutes more would accomplish.
“Because then it’ll be tomorrow and we can go claim our mate.”
“Ex-squeeze me?” Daniel shook his head to try to clear his brain. He couldn’t have possibly heard what he thought he did. “Go claim her? What about what Lehi said?”
As long as he’d known Ezekiel, the werewolf had never gone against his father. It wasn’t only because Lehi was his dad and he was following an outdated commandment. It was because Lehi was Ezekiel’s Alpha and that card trumped the dad card any day of the week.
“What about it?”
“Your father forbade us from going near her tonight.” Much to his irritation.
“Right.” Ezekiel cocked an eyebrow. “Tonight.”
“And what doe—” He stopped in mid-sentence as clarity dawned. “Oh ho, ho. Your deviousness astonishes yet impresses me all at the same time.”
“Why thank you.” Ezekiel downed the rest of his beer, setting the bottle back on the bar. “I have to say I’m a little surprised you didn’t catch on sooner.”
“I’m not afraid to admit it. I was given all the looks while you were given all the brains.”
“Are you sure I didn’t receive the looks and the brains?”
“Positive.” Daniel rose from the stool and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. “And to prove you’re the one with the smarts, I’m going to pay for the drinks.”
“Oh, I guess you showed me.” Ezekiel stood as well and gave a feline-like stretch before leaning his head from side to side and popping his neck. The comparison amused Daniel to no end. Especially knowing how much it would annoy his friend to be linked to what Ezekiel considered a “lesser being”. But then Ezekiel smiled in his predatory way that reminded Daniel in no uncertain terms that despite the feralness of his friend’s movements, he was no pussy. “Let’s go claim our mate.”
No words had ever sounded sweeter.
Chapter Three
The drive from the bar to Yvonne’s house was done in record time, at least for Ezekiel. Daniel, on the other hand, was acting as if he was out for a Sunday cruise. This whole fear of crashing and breaking bones Daniel had was going to be their downfall. One would think after all this time, he would be comfortable riding with Ezekiel, but no, the pussy had a problem with a little speed. Hence, he was still en route to Yvonne’s house and Ezekiel was already out in front.
If he didn’t think it would make Daniel drive slower, Ezekiel might have called to give him a hard time. Unfortunately, talking while driving wasn’t his friend’s forte. Irritated, Ezekiel tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he alternated his attention between his rearview mirror in search of Daniel and his passenger-side window, which faced Yvonne’s house.
Despite the late hour, the faint glow from her television could be seen through the closed blinds of her front window. Good, she was up. Hopefully that meant she was pondering the proposal placed on her tonight. Lord knew that was all he could think about. But there was nothing new about that. Yvonne was always front and center in his thoughts. Especially of late.
For a werewolf, picking a mate was a serious undertaking and not all of them did it for love. But Ezekiel did, and whether she was ready to admit it or not, Yvonne would say yes because she loved him and Daniel as well. Ezekiel was counting on their love to see them through the tough parts. Relationships were hard enough with only two people in them. Throwing a third into the mix only stacked the odds against a happily ever after. But it had to work. Ezekiel would accept nothing less.
Five minutes after his own arrival, Daniel showed. He pulled his SUV behind Ezekiel’s four-by-four, then shut off the engine and exited his car. By the time he was at the bed of the truck, Ezekiel was already out and heading up the walkway. Ezekiel walked like a man with purpose, not bothering to slow down so Daniel could catch up. He had waited as long as he cared to in order to have Yvonne.
But because it was the right thing to do, he lingered on the doorstop until Daniel arrived before pressing the doorbell. They needed to show her a united front to push past the barriers he was sure she was sealing in place. The two men waited in silence for what seemed like a lifetime but in reality was probably less than a minute. The porch light clicked on a few seconds before Yvonne answered the door.
The first thing that hit him when she stepped into the entryway was the tropical scent that clung to her skin. From the faint aroma surrounding her, he could tell she was freshly showered. He inhaled deeply, letting the luscious fragrance of coconut and vanilla run rampant through his senses.
Damn. She smelled good enough to eat.
At the sight of them, Yvonne shook her head and glanced from one man to the other. “I should have known.�
�
“Yes, you should have.” Ezekiel ran his gaze down her barely covered body, taking in the black and yellow football jersey she wore in lieu of a nightgown. “It looks as if you were expecting us.”
“Look again.”
“Don’t worry. I am.” At five nine, Yvonne was reasonably tall for a woman, and blessed with the sexiest, longest brown legs he’d ever seen. Ezekiel couldn’t stop staring at her or hoping they could quickly move from the stoop to the bedroom with little downtime in between.
“That jersey looks awfully familiar.” Daniel moved until he and Ezekiel stood shoulder to shoulder, before reaching out and fingering her sleeve.
“It should.” She slapped his hand away from the shirt. “I stole it from you.”
“Thief.”
Yvonne shrugged. “It looks better on me.”
“I personally think it will look better on the floor,” Ezekiel said. “Why don’t we take it off and find out?”
His comment brought her attention back to him. “Trying to get me out of my clothes?”
Finally, she was catching on. “Most definitely.” Ezekiel lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Let us in.”
“Why should I?”
“Because you want to,” Daniel insisted.
“Maybe.” She didn’t budge an inch. “But I seem to want a lot of things that aren’t necessarily good for me.”
Ezekiel frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “You think we’re bad for you?”
“I’m not sure. I know when I’m with you two it’s as natural as breathing.”
“And when you’re not?” Daniel pressed, asking the question they both wanted to know the answer to.
“I count down the hours until I am again,” she admitted with obvious reluctance.
Her answer, even though given hesitantly, satisfied Ezekiel in ways he could never explain. “What does that tell you?”
“That I’m a fool.”
“Love tends to make people feel that way,” Daniel said softly.
“I never said I was in love with the two of you.”
The Better to Eat You With: Urban Fairytales, Book 2 Page 4