by Various
“It’s good to see you.” Liam dropped a kiss on her cheek.
Behind her, Gavin slipped his hand around her ribs and steered her toward the table. “Morning, beautiful.” He slid her coat off her arms and directed her into the booth. Before she realized what was happening, she was seated in between them with no way out.
“You two planned this,” she said.
Gavin laughed. “Of course we did.”
Liam slid his hand up and down her thigh. “It’s much better with no family around.”
“And we’re nice and hidden here in the booth.” Gavin rested his hand on her leg, too.
Bridget immediately felt her body attuning itself to them. She yearned for more. Her body wanted to meld with them, and her wolf wanted to mark them. Even more today than yesterday. With their hands on her body, she struggled to remember why she resisted them.
“Just remember, we can always skip lunch and go back to our hotel room,” Liam said. “Just say the word.” His hand got dangerously close to her pussy.
Even she could smell her arousal. There was no way the two men could miss it. Still, she tried to play it cool. If she didn’t, she’d give in. “Have you two looked at the menu already? They have really good food here.” She opened her menu and tried very hard to concentrate on the dishes.
Gavin whispered in her ear. “I already know what I want to eat.”
They were determined to kill her with lust.
Bridget cleared her throat and reminded herself why she was resisting. To give in, to surrender, meant giving up all that she was. It might feel good right now…really, really good…but she’d hate herself for it later when she’d become little more than a slave to her mates’ wills.
However, two could play this game. She turned to Gavin, her mouth just a hair’s breadth from his, and said, “Are you sure that would fill you up? You might need some cock with that for a balanced meal.”
Liam knocked his leg against the underside of the table—he’d heard, of course—and Gavin crossed the millimeters to press his lips against hers. They both had their eyes open, his steamy. He pushed forward, trying to take control of the kiss, to dominate her.
“Would you like something to drink?”
The waitress. Bridget pulled away. “Just water,” she said, wiping her mouth with her fingers. The feel of him lingered on her lips.
She didn’t even hear what the two men ordered.
As soon as the woman left, Liam leaned in close. “Where’s my kiss?”
“Who says you get one?” she said.
His finger traced a line from her temple to her chin. “It’s only fair. If Gavin gets a kiss, then I should get one, too.”
“Gavin stole a kiss.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished them back. She knew exactly what Liam would do.
“Then I should steal a kiss, too.” Liam turned her face toward his with one finger and captured her lips with his.
His kiss was gentle where Gavin’s had been fiery. She felt herself give a little more. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t give in.
Bridget pulled away.
Liam slid his arm around her waist and let his hand rest on her hip. “Very nice.”
“You don’t have to sound so satisfied,” she said.
“Why not? I am satisfied. For now.”
God, she was acting like a shrew. She felt like a shrew. But what could she do when she had to keep her defenses up at all times and still they made inroads? She couldn’t win.
The best she could do was change the subject. With a creeping feeling of despair warring with her ever-present arousal, she said, “You said you were meeting my family here after lunch. What’s up?”
Gavin slung his arm around the back of her seat. “It’d be easier if I waited and told you all at once.”
The despair won. It wasn’t that she really had to know before everyone else. It was that she wanted to be more than just part of her family. Shouldn’t mates confide in each other? Couldn’t he tell her now rather than waiting?
Which was ridiculous, stupid. She didn’t want mates, so what did it matter?
Gavin must have seen something in her face. He leaned forward, slipping one hand over hers on the table. “I can tell you now, if it’s that important.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
She felt a hand stroke her hair. “What’s the matter, Bridget?” Gavin said. “Tell me.”
She couldn’t tell him. It would mean he’d won. She pulled herself together and took a sip of water. “It’s nothing. What else would you like to talk about? There must be something that’s a safe subject.”
“I’ve got a subject for you.” Liam’s hand rubbed her back. “What happened to make you so afraid of having mates?”
Gavin growled softly.
Liam must not have been supposed to say that. Wasn’t that interesting? “I’ve told you I don’t know.”
His hand continued to stroke her back. “Then—more interesting question—what do you plan to do with us now that you’ve got us?”
Gavin growled again.
Liam leaned forward. “I think the direct approach is worth trying.”
“We agreed we weren’t going to crowd her,” Gavin said.
“Yeah, well, I changed my mind,” Liam said.
“Would you mind not talking about me like I’m not here?” Bridget said.
Liam’s hand stilled. “Then answer the question.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Gavin said.
“I don’t know what to do with you. What can I do? I know what happens when someone refutes their mates. It’s awful. I don’t want that for you. But that doesn’t change anything. I’m still scared. I still don’t want mates.”
After a short silence, Liam said, “I think you’re stuck with us. You know, you could always claim us and then if you’re unhappy, you could leave.”
A shiver went through her when he said that. God, she wasn’t even mated to them yet, but the thought of leaving them chilled her.
The men must have seen her shiver, but they didn’t mention it.
“Or we could treat this as a business proposition,” Gavin said. “Draw up a contract. A pre-nup, if you will. Lay out exactly what each of us wants, what our boundaries are, and what the punishment is for going over them.”
That seemed awfully clinical. And yet, oddly appealing. “So, if you dominate me to the point that I become a shadow of who I am, the punishment would be…”
Liam sat up sharply. “We’d never do that.”
“The punishment would be a sound beating from your brothers-in-law, followed by you moving in with one of your sisters until we could work it out.” Gavin’s voice was steady.
She looked at him sidelong. “And that doesn’t worry you?”
He sat back, his arm again resting along the back of her seat. “Not at all. I agree with Liam. We’d never do that, so the punishment would never happen. But if it makes you feel more secure to have it all on paper, I’m fine with that.”
There was something to that idea. Maybe a pre-nup was exactly what she needed.
“You think about it,” Gavin said. “We can talk about it more at dinner.”
“I haven’t agreed to dinner.” When she turned to Gavin, she caught him locking eyes with Liam, as though communicating silently. At least her mates were bonded. Though she wasn’t sure why the thought made her feel bitter.
Chapter 5
Oblivious to Bridget’s thoughts, Gavin said, “Then this is the perfect time for us to make plans. Let’s get together for dinner tonight to talk about the contract and any other options we think of between now and then.”
“Then we’re driving back to Northern Virginia,” Liam said. “We haven’t got anything with us, not even a change of clothes. We had to buy these clothes last night.” He looked down at the blue shirt he had on. It looked fine, but not quite the same style as the day before. A little too polo and not eno
ugh G.I. Joe.
“You’re leaving?” She felt surprised when she realized she didn’t want them to leave. She couldn’t imagine they’d be gone long, not with the way they were pursuing her, but she still felt abandoned.
Yet another feeling she shouldn’t be feeling.
Liam kissed her temple. “I know you’re going to say no, but just know that you can come with us if you want. We’d love to have you with us.”
“Absolutely,” Gavin said.
Of course she couldn’t go with them. Where would she sleep? In their bed. That’s what they were hoping. “I don’t know.” And where’d that come from? She’d meant to say no. Really, she had.
Their food arrived, which forestalled more discussion. Then Liam got talking about the military and how glad he was to be home. He’d been deployed to Iraq three times. Just as they were finishing their meal, Bridget’s family started to arrive.
They had commandeered a large table in the corner, and though they waved at Bridget, they didn’t come over to the booth.
Gavin paid the bill for lunch then before Bridget knew what was happening, he leaned over and kissed her again. A long kiss, long and hard and passionate.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d get to do that again after we talk to your family, and I couldn’t wait for tonight,” Gavin said.
Before she could reply, Liam swung her in his direction and gave her an equally passionate kiss. The worst thing was, she responded to both of them. Kissed them back, threaded her fingers through their hair, didn’t want them to stop.
When Liam released her, she had to take a second to catch her breath before going to join her family.
Both Gavin and Liam grinned at that.
Bridget sat down between Deirdre and Maeve, glad to finally have a little distance from her mates. The two men sat down across from the three sisters. Deirdre and Maeve’s mates had arranged themselves at either end of the table.
Everyone quieted down, and Gavin leaned forward.
***
“A couple of months ago, Liam came to me with a case,” Gavin said. “A friend of his from the Army was looking for her birth father and any siblings she might have. When I looked into it, I discovered that her mother had come from Stonewall Pack. She’d left when she’d discovered she was pregnant. As far as I could tell, she never told the father about the baby.”
Gavin had decided to tell the story from the beginning, like this, rather than opening with the punchline. “Right before she hired me, she convinced her mother to tell her her birth father’s name. Her mother had always refused, not willing to dredge up the past. The only reason she agreed was because she didn’t think Fiona would be able to track him down.”
“Fiona?” Bridget said. “Is that your client?”
“Yeah,” Liam said.
Gavin continued. “So Liam came to me with her parent’s names. I discovered that her mother grew up in Stonewall Pack, and from there it was easy to track down her father.”
“You’re saying we’re related to her,” Deirdre said.
“Her father is James Connolly. She’s your half-sister,” Gavin said.
For a few minutes, everything fell still, as though they had all stopped breathing. Then Maeve said, “Are you sure? Papa never said anything to us.”
“He didn’t know,” Gavin said. “And I’m as sure as I can be, based on the information I have. We can always arrange for a paternity test to be sure.”
“We don’t need that,” Liam said. “She looks just like you, like all three of you. You even move the same way. I have no doubt she’s your sister.”
“What’s she like?” Bridget said.
Bridget didn’t seem angry, something Gavin felt very relieved about. He’d been scared this would be just one more thing to come between them. Although she’d responded very nicely to their kisses at lunch. Maybe they were wearing her down.
“She’s great,” Liam said. “Tough. The kind of woman you want to have backing you up in a fight. Really down-to-earth, practical. And a total jokester. You can never get one over on her without risking horrible retribution.”
All three sisters smiled.
“Did she say why she wanted you to find us? I mean, what are her plans—what’s next?” Deirdre said.
“She’d like to meet.” Gavin flipped open his notebook and pulled out a picture. “And I’m allowed to show you this.” He tossed the photo across the table.
Bridget pulled it in front of her, so all three of them could see it.
It was a photo of Fiona, Liam and their other best friend, Grady. They wore BDUs and stood in the middle of the desert with their arms flung around each other and grins on their faces. Gavin had never met Grady, but both Liam and Fiona talked about him often.
“She does look like us,” Maeve said.
“Does she know Papa is dead?” Bridget slid the photo back to him.
“I’ve told her. She was sad, but it didn’t change things that much. She still wants to meet you.” Gavin tucked the photo back inside a pocket in his notebook. “That brings up something else. Your parents’ death.”
“Carbon monoxide poisoning,” Deirdre said. “Bridget and I were lucky we weren’t home that night.”
“Yeah,” Gavin said. “I just have some questions about how it all happened. Because it seems suspicious to me.”
Bridget tucked her hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?”
“I took a look at the police report, and the findings from the fire chief. It mostly looks like it’s on the up and up, but a couple of notes in the back of the file make me think they initially suspected foul play.”
“If that’s true, why didn’t they investigate further?” Maeve said.
“I don’t know.” Gavin closed his notebook. “It’s up to Fiona, and now you, whether I continue to look into it.”
“Us?” Maeve said. “But she’s your client. Why would it be up to us?”
Gavin’s gaze rested on Bridget. “You have a much stronger claim on me now.”
Bridget blushed, while her sisters laughed at her.
She was gorgeous when she blushed like that, but Gavin didn’t want to cause her discomfort. At least not in public. “Are you interested in meeting Fiona? I can set something up for the next time she’s in the country.”
They agreed. After a few more minutes of questions about their new-found sister, Deirdre said, “Why did her mother leave Stonewall Pack?”
Gavin had been hoping they wouldn’t ask that—although it didn’t surprise him that Deirdre would get right to the heart of the matter. Still, Fiona had told him he could tell her sisters. She’d said she hoped he would, because she didn’t want to do it herself. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
“You’re familiar with Ted Seabolt.”
Maeve made a choking sound in her throat. Yes, Gavin knew exactly how familiar they were with Ted.
“Apparently he molested Fiona’s mother when she was a pre-teen. Years later when she found out she was pregnant, she couldn’t stand the thought of raising her child in Ted’s pack. She left the pack before anyone found out about the pregnancy. That’s why she didn’t tell your father—she was afraid he might convince her to come back, or that he might try to claim his child.”
Maeve had tears in her eyes. “She did the right thing.”
Bridget put her hand over her sister’s.
Gavin fidgeted with his notebook. That was everything they needed to say. And he wasn’t sure what to do in the face of the sisters’ emotions.
“You’re sure she’s their sister?” Jake said from the end of the table.
Gavin pulled the picture out and handed it down to him. “You tell me.”
Across from him, the three sisters had their heads together. They weren’t talking; he would have heard that. But they seemed to be communicating nonetheless.
Jake whistled.
Sam leaned against Jake as he looked at the picture. “She definitely looks like their sister.”
&n
bsp; “I can’t think of any reason she’d make it up,” Jake said. He passed the picture back to Gavin, who pushed it to the other end of the table so Maeve’s mates, Damian and Nate, could see.
“Was that everything, or is there more news?” Deirdre said.
“That’s everything.” Gavin tucked the picture away after Damian handed it back to him.
“Thank you for telling us,” Deirdre said. “Let us know what Fiona says about getting together.” She stood.
As though that was the signal, the rest of the family stood as well, Gavin and Liam with them.
“We will,” Gavin said.
As the family filed out of the restaurant, Gavin snagged Bridget and pulled her aside. “You didn’t actually agree to dinner.” He kept his hand on her arm, enjoying the way she felt, even if there were a couple of layers of fabric between them.
Liam stood near them and put his hand on her cheek.
She pushed some hair off her forehead. “I don’t know. This is an awful lot of togetherness.”
Gavin fought to keep from growling. This wasn’t anywhere near enough togetherness. “We might not be back again for a few days. At least have dinner with us before we leave. We need to talk about the pre-nup.”
He had thrown out the idea at lunch and had been surprised that she’d responded so well. She didn’t trust them not to beat her, but thought she could trust them to obey a piece of paper? But at this point, he didn’t care if she was being irrational. He’d do just about anything to convince her to give them a chance. Then they’d have a lifetime to make her realize she didn’t need a pre-nup or anything else.
“I suppose,” she said. “Will you really be gone so long?”
And there she went again, flip-flopping. She didn’t want them, but she didn’t want them to leave. Couldn’t she see she needed them as much as they needed her?
Then Gavin remembered that old adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ It might kill him and Liam, but maybe the best thing to get her to come around would be if they stayed away for a little while. Just enough to make her crazy.
“Yeah,” he said, trying to make his voice sound mournful. “At least a few days. Might even be a week.”