“But does she love you?”
“No, I don’t think so, at least not yet. Humans are not driven by the beast inside. I think it’s a different natural process.”
“Okay, I’ll give it a try, but I reserve the right to go all caveman if I have to. So, how’s your mate?”
“Stubborn as hell.”
Draco laughed. “Mine too. That must be a trait for mates.”
“Let me make some calls, and I’ll have someone at her office tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks. I guess we’re even now.”
“Best news I’ve heard all day.”
Rio closed his phone. He wouldn’t let Cat go even after he killed Alvarez. He needed to figure out how to make her stay with him of her own free will. He felt like a snake telling Draco what to do when he wouldn’t do that himself with Cat. Rio made several phone calls and hired two werewolves to sit on Lucy from sunup to sundown. Hopefully Rio could kill Alvarez, or Draco could woo Lucy before the hired men actually had to kill somebody.
Rio decided to go for a run. His wolf needed to expend some energy. After checking on Cat, he walked to the edge of the woods and shed his clothes. He wasn’t worried about Cat venturing out at night. Whatever had happened to her had put a major fear in her. He shifted and then stretched his back. Life was so much sharper as a wolf—the smell, the vision. God it felt good. His beast took over and bolted to a run. He scented a deer about a hundred yards to his left and a rabbit hole about fifty feet to his right. Normally, he’d let his other half hunt, but Rio decided he couldn’t allow that luxury tonight.
His wolf circled back to where his clothes were and shifted. A fine sheen of sweat covered Rio’s human body. Time for a swim. He ran buck-naked and dived into the lake. Even if Cat were watching, she wouldn’t have seen him shift. After cooling down, Rio decided not to bother with putting his clothes on. He intended to make love to little Cat again, and clothes would just slow him down.
Chapter Eleven
Creed stood in the kitchen doorway of the house he shared with his big brother, and eyed the vision in black washing dishes. She softly hummed to herself, a tune that he didn’t recognize. The real question was, why in the hell was she here? Creed and his bro never brought dates home. It was the rule and neither had broken it—until now.
Of course, it was plain to see why his brother had let the rule fly out the proverbial window. Her curvy backside enticed him through the translucent—thing—she wore. A black garter held up sheer silk stockings. He and his brother were both ass men. Hers was smooth and creamy, and one that both of them would enjoy. Light curls cascaded down her back. He was surprised her dainty feet weren’t clad in some fuck-me black heels.
And God did she smell like heaven, the real heaven. All women smelled delicious, but she was different like a heady fragrant flower and something to eat—peaches maybe.
Even though she was enticing, he still couldn’t believe that Rio had brought her home. Maybe she was a complication from Rio’s business. If so, that could only spell one thing—trouble.
“Who the hell are you?” His voice was louder and harsher than he’d intended, but a complication was a complication and he always protected his older brother.
Dishes clattered in the sink as she spun, and the slinky, delicate thing swirled around her body. Her eyes held fear, and she clutched a butcher knife in her hand. Delicate facial features reminded him of a fairy with her small mouth, pert nose, and big, sky-blue eyes. His gaze wondered down to perfect breasts supported by a lacy half-bra thing that left her nipples free. He knew those little buds would pebble under his mouth. His eyes continued to drift down to her—plump belly.
What the fuck?
She was pregnant!
He tilted his head to the side and sucked in a huge breath. Damn! Suddenly his dick was hard as steel. Her scent wrapped around his wolf, pulling him to the surface.
Mine! Mine! Mine!
This woman holding a knife was his mate. Creed was going to kill his brother if his mate were carrying Rio’s baby. Creed and his bro never thought in a million years that they’d find a mate. Besides, mates were complicated, made a man and his wolf do stupid things, and stupid could get you killed.
“Who are you?” he asked again trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
“I’m—the prisoner.”
What?
“And you are?”
“Creed, Rio’s brother.”
His dick, with a mind of its own, pressed hard against his jeans. An overwhelming need to fuck his brother from this nymph’s mind roared like a volcano to the surface. He shouldn’t be thinking about fucking her.
“Have you come to rescue your brother?”
“Why does he need rescuing?”
“Because he’s going to get himself killed.”
“If anything happens to my brother,” after I personally kill him, “it won’t go so well for you.” He would do anything to protect his brother, even kill his mate.
“Hey, it’s not my fault he’s pigheaded.”
His grandmother used the word pigheaded to describe Creed and his brother, but he preferred determined. “Why is my brother in danger?”
“Someone very bad wants me at any cost.” She clumsily held the knife like as if it could protect her from him.
His wolf understood that, but she must have or know something to be wanted at any cost.
“Where’s Rio?”
“Town.”
“If you’re a prisoner, why haven’t you run away while he’s gone?” Creed wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. So far, she hadn’t lied to him, but he needed to know what her relationship with his bro was.
“I tried that yesterday.”
“And he found you.”
She nodded. Of course, Rio would have used his wolf nose to track her. The chase would have excited the beast. “How far did you get?”
“Not far enough.”
He noted the scratches on her arms. Hell, she’d run into the woods. Rio must have enjoyed the hunt, and he was sure that his big brother had made her pay. And that pissed Creed off.
“You could take me to town and put me on a bus to anywhere. It would be best for your brother.”
“And how are you going to repay me?”
Her eyes finally drifted to the bulge in his jeans. Yeah, baby it’s for you. Her gaze snapped back to his.
“Perversion must be a family genetic thing?”
“Why am I perverted?”
“You lust for a pregnant woman. Your brother has the same problem.”
He was sure that Rio did if it were Rio’s child. For the first time since they were kids, jealousy of his brother bulldozed through his gut. Creed didn’t mind a niece or a nephew, but telling Rio that she was Creed’s mate may not go over too well.
But he couldn’t help the inevitable. Right now, he needed to fuck Rio from her mind. His wolf compelled him forward, and she raised the blade in front of her.
“You don’t know how to hold a knife.”
“Your brother has informed me before.”
He kept stalking her. When she raised her weapon higher, he grabbed her hand and wrenched it from her. Creed moved behind her, settled his ass against the counter and her ass against his cock. “Here’s the way you hold it. This way you can thrust up or down when you need too. The way you held it, you could only sweep down. And keep it loose in your hand.”
“So someone bigger than me can take it?”
“You had no chance against me, sweet pea.” Just to show off, he threw the knife at the kitchen doorframe, impaling it into the wood.
Cat stiffened against his hard body, his erection pressing against her butt. She recognized the same wavy hair, same piercing black eyes, same sexy dimpled chin, and same muscles straining under his shirt when he stalked her. Both faces were handsome but intense. My god, there are two of them.
His arm shifted, and then the knife whirled across the room and speared the doorframe. She kne
w it traveled end-over-end, but it was moving too fast for her eyes to see. How could she possibly escape two men? One a killer, and one, well who the hell knew what Creed did, except he was sure handy with a knife.
“Impressive,” she managed to push past her lips.
He ground his erection into her backside. “Most women think so.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was talking about the knife.”
He nuzzled her neck, sending chills skating down her spine. “Sure you were.”
She yelped when he snaked his hand around and pinched her nipple. His other hand palmed her belly. What was it with these brothers and her belly? Were they souped-up on sex? It wasn’t normal, but—the sex she’d had with Rio wasn’t normal either. Now his brother was caressing her, affecting her in the same way as Rio. Teeth skimmed the soft skin of her neck.
“You smell of my brother. We’ve got to do something about that.”
She held her breath when his hand traveled past her belly directly to her mound. He found her little bundle of nerves and ground the heel of his palm against it. She fought the groan in her throat, resisted thrusting her hips forward for more of that exquisite pressure. This was insane. Had she become so accustomed to Rio that she’d let anybody seduce her? Where was the good girl that her parents had raised?
His hand slipped lower; his fingers slipped into her wet channel, and she couldn’t hold back the shiver that rocked her body. His laugh vibrated against her back. Cat should at least protest even if her body betrayed her, but no words came forth. His hand moved further and tapped the butt plug.
“Oh, yes,” he said. “He’s preparing your hot little ass for me. I’ll have to thank him for that. How did it feel when he popped it in? Did it burn? Was it intense pleasure/pain?”
She absently nodded. If she didn’t know better, it was Rio behind her, but it wasn’t and she didn’t care who was causing her to crave sex. Could she blame it on the hormones?
She really was the camp whore.
His hand moved back to her clit, teasing. She closed her eyes, knowing she was a goner. “Come for me, sweet pea.”
“Let her go, Creed.”
Her eyes flew open. The pleasurable sensations were quickly replaced by fear—hers. The growl from Rio sent a different chill down her spine. Creed stiffened behind her.
“Hello, big brother.”
Rio’s eyes were dark with rage, his lips set in a firm line. “Let her go, Creed, before I kill you.”
“Actually, I’m going to kill you.”
The anger between these two was so thick Cat thought she would choke. Why were they bristling like two mad boars? Creed continued to swirl over her clit, but it wasn’t going to work. But baiting Rio would if Creed wanted a fight.
Rio was opening and closing his fists. “Outside, now.”
“Sure, big brother.”
Creed bent and nipped her on the neck. She tried to act nonchalantly, but the bite, just like Rio’s, shot straight to her core. “Stay ready for me, sweet pea. We’re not done.”
He moved towards Rio who looked as if he were about to explode. “Will you two do me a favor?”
“Anything,” they both said and then glared at each other.
“If you’re going to resort to violence, make sure you kill one another. I can’t stand the sight of blood, and with you both dead, I can leave when I want to.” She gave them her best sarcastic smile and swept from the room.
Cat didn’t want a family to come to blows over her, because the good Lord knew she wasn’t worth it.
She smiled when she realized that maybe she could use their anger against one another to escape. They went out the back door. Rio’s truck was parked on the side. Where was Creed’s? She could only hope he’d left the keys in it.
Creed followed his brother out, resisting the urging of his beast to launch on Rio’s back and beat the shit out of him. His wolf needed to stake his claim and get back to his sweet mate. Both he and Rio were stubborn, a family trait. There’d be no talking or negotiating, just a brawl, so the way Creed saw it, there was no need to delay.
“You will keep your hands off of Cat,” Rio said. “I am not sharing her.”
Creed crossed his arms over his chest and recognized the same anger boiling in Rio. “That’s good, because I’m not sharing her either.”
Rio stepped into Creed’s space and poked him in the chest. “I’m warning you, Creed. I’ll kill you if you touch her again.”
Creed pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the ground. He popped the button of his pants. “Man or wolf?”
“I don’t want to fight you, Creed. You’re my brother, but my wolf won’t share.”
“Let’s get this over with. I can’t wait to slide my cock…”
Air whooshed out of Creed’s lungs as his back slammed to the ground. He blocked Rio’s blow and landed his fist against Rio’s jaw. He rolled Rio off, straddled him, and landed another punch to his bro’s face. With a growl, Rio tossed Creed away. Rio popped up, fists ready. Creed stood, put his head down, and barreled into his brother. Creed snarled when Rio landed a blow to his kidney. They circled each other, fists up, growls rumbling in their throats.
“She’s my mate, Creed. My wolf won’t share.”
Creed propped his hands on his hips. “What did you say?”
“She’s my mate.”
“That can’t be. She’s my mate.”
His brother dropped his fists. “Are you sure?”
“Hell yeah. Snared my wolf in a split heartbeat.”
“Ila told me not to kill you until we talked. I guess she knew.”
“So, do we still fight for her?”
“I don’t know,” answered Rio. “My wolf doesn’t want to share.”
“Neither does mine, but you’re my favorite bro, and Ila would surely kill us both for fighting over something that nature decreed.”
“Yeah, and we’re pretty evenly matched. We could fight till dawn, and no one would win.”
Creed didn’t want to share, but he wouldn’t deny his brother a mate either. It was unheard of to have the same mate, but mating wasn’t negotiable.
His belly clenched. “I have to ask. Is she carrying your pup?”
Rio dragged his hand through his dirty hair. “No. Jose Alvarez thinks it’s his and has offered twenty million dollars for the baby’s safe return.” Rio told him about his one-night-stand with Cat in the whorehouse.
The timing seemed right to Creed. “So it could be yours?”
Creed saw regret in Rio’s eyes. “No. My wolf doesn’t remember mating her. She doesn’t bear my mark.”
Creed was ashamed at the relief that flooded him. He didn’t want Rio to have first dibs. “So Alvarez has to die.”
Rio nodded. “Yep, the sooner the better.”
“You got a plan?”
“Not yet.”
Creed clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Good. We can devise one together.”
Rio grinned. “That’s fine with me, just as long as I’m the one to take all the risk. Come and let me properly introduce you to our mate.”
Cat couldn’t believe her good luck. Creed’s big, black Hummer had the keys in the ignition, and since the two brothers were acting like the idiots they were, it gave her the perfect opportunity to flee. Rio had threatened her if she ran again, but Cat couldn’t help herself. If Creed were anything like his brother, he’d be hell bent on getting himself killed too, and neither brother would forgive her if the other died.
She’d realized her feelings for Rio ran deeply, but her body had responded to Creed just like it did to Rio’s, some unnatural pull that seemed as natural as breathing. Her soul actually sang when she was with Rio and sang when Creed had settled her against his enormous cock.
Rio was spoiling her, sucking her into a point of no return. Last night, he’d awakened her with decadent sex followed by chocolate covered strawberries in that beautiful pink box he’d brought home from the restaurant. He’d fed them to her l
ike she was a queen. Then this morning, after her shower, he presented her with the sexy silk stockings, lacy garters, and baby doll lingerie made for pregnant women. As part of their deal, she had to wear these things all day long. His constant erection made her feel sexy. The butt plug in her ass made her feel wanton.
And none of it made any sense.
Which was why she had to leave. She would not risk another person because of her foolishness.
She slowed down to take a hairpin curve realizing the only bad thing about this plan was she had no real clothes. Rio had stashed her sweatpants, and now she was driving down the gravel driveway at breakneck speed in a stolen truck wearing no shoes and one of Rio’s gigantic shirts.
And she still didn’t have a dime to her name.
After rounding another curve, she stopped the vehicle. It never occurred to her that there would be a gate at the end of the longest driveway in the world. Cat rolled up to it hoping that open sesame worked. Dang it. Glancing to the left and the right told her a high, evil-looking fence made the gate a better choice. She studied the gate. It looked like wood, so it should shatter when this tank rammed it, right? This was a Hummer like the military used. Surely, it could take out a wooden gate. She put the vehicle in reverse and backed up as far as possible. Taking a deep breath, Cat shoved the SUV into drive and floored the truck, praying she didn’t kill herself and the baby.
She tensed the nearer she got to her target. Something whizzed beside her, and in the next heartbeat, she was barreling down on Creed. Cat stood up on the breaks, but knew she wouldn’t be able to stop in time. When she was seconds from flattening him, he jumped straight up and landed on the hood.
When the Hummer finally stopped, Creed was crouched on the hood, shirtless, glaring at her through the windshield. Hell, he must really love this truck. Rio stood at the driver’s side window scowling too.
Claiming Their Cat Page 13