by Leah Brooke
Joe’s hands clenched at his sides, as if he wanted to reach for her but feared he’d scare her.
The almost identical looks of shame and self-disgust on their faces broke her heart, and shamed her.
Although not quite sure how she would come to grips with the fact that not only did shape-shifters exist, her lovers actually were shape-shifters, she knew she had to try.
She couldn’t bear to see the hurt in their eyes and know that her reaction had caused it.
Pulling the chair back, she dropped into it and reached for the glass. “I’m sorry.” Smiling at their shocked looks, she took a sip of her water. “You have to admit that it was pretty scary. I mean, what if you’d been walking along and turned around to see a panther stalking you? Your friend scared the crap out of me.”
Thomas walked through the back door, followed by several other men she didn’t recognize. All of them had a similar look about them, though.
All had black hair and dark eyes. All walked with the same grace and power that Leland and Joe did.
All had an aura of danger surrounding them that couldn’t be ignored.
One of them stepped forward, but she noticed that they all kept glancing at Leland and Joe, and kept a respectable distance. There had to be at least twenty of them crowded on one side of the large kitchen. “She is a beauty.”
She could see the curiosity in their eyes, but her attention remained on Joe and Leland. “Are they all shape-shifters?”
Leland inclined his head, taking a small step closer as if he feared alarming her. “Yes.”
Graham came in, pushing his way through the others. Ignoring Leland and Joe’s warning looks, he dropped into the seat next to her. “You okay, honey?”
Glenna stilled at the low growls from Leland and Joe, and turned her attention back to Graham. “Did they just growl at you?”
Graham grinned. “Yep. They’re very possessive of you. They’re afraid that you’re going to fall for me and dump them. They won’t do anything about it, though.” With a grimace, he turned to meet Leland’s and Joe’s scowls. “At least not right now. They won’t do anything to scare you, so I’m safe for the moment.” Frowning, he took her hands in his, ignoring another growl. “You hurt your hands. Probably scraped them trying to get away from Vincent.” Turning them gently, he grimaced. “Elbows, too.”
Glenna had been prepared for feeling the same tingling up her arm that she did when Joe and Leland touched her, but other than the warmth from his hand, she felt nothing. “Yeah. I guess I’d better wash them off. That asphalt’s hot.” Getting to her feet, she smiled when every man in the room seemed to come to attention.
Going to the sink, she turned, looking past Leland and Joe to Graham. “Who’s Vincent?”
“I am.” A man who looked so much like Joe it startled her, stepped past the others. With his hands on his hips, he turned to face Joe. “So what do we do now? I told you that fucking her would only lead to trouble.”
Leland leapt forward, the growl coming from him now sending a chill down her spine.
Joe reached out a hand and stepped between them. “Vincent, you’re my brother, and I love you, but you’re real close to being put through a wall.”
Still sitting at the table, Graham shook his head. “He doesn’t know her, and he protects the pack as fiercely as the two of you do.”
With an apologetic look, Vincent turned to glare at her. “Let’s just hope the two of you haven’t made a huge mistake.” With a curse, he turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
During the tense silence that followed, Glenna turned off the water and wiped her hands, leaning back against the counter. “I still can’t believe it. So, that’s why you’re so secretive. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” Unable to bear the anguish in Leland’s eyes, she tossed the towel aside and approached him, flattening her hands on his chest and looking up at him with a smile. “I’m not sure anyone would believe me even if I did. They’d probably lock me up in a mental facility.”
The relief in Leland’s eyes and Joe’s low chuckle relieved the tense atmosphere. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Leland pulled her close. “Don’t worry, baby. I’d rescue you. You okay now?”
Nodding, Glenna lifted her face for his kiss, aware of the sharp attention from the others. Warmed when he readily obliged her, she cuddled against him and reached for Joe, rewarded by his answering smile. “So, you call yourselves a pack?”
Joe shrugged and pulled her from Leland’s arms to his, bending to kiss her. “That’s what we are. We’re probably closer than most families.”
Frowning, she looked up at him. “Vincent is your brother?”
Joe nodded, his smile falling. “Yes. He wouldn’t have hurt you. I think he just wanted to scare you off.”
She glanced around at the others, who regarded her steadily and seemed in no hurry to leave. “Why doesn’t he like me?”
Graham answered before Joe could. “It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He’s afraid that you’ll tell others about us, and put the pack in danger.” He shot a glance at Joe. “He’s also worried because we can’t allow ourselves to get involved in relationships. That’s what put our parents in danger, and why they were all killed. Every one of us lost our parents in a single raid caused by fights that had something to do with the women.”
Glenna gasped, unable to imagine such a thing. “Oh, my God! That’s terrible! Who killed them?”
Leland shrugged and sat at the table, taking her hand and inspecting it before pulling her onto his lap. “We don’t know. All we know is that we were always hiding. There were a lot of fights between our parents, and we were too young to understand why. Whatever is was, they kept it from us. We only know what Ed and Alice Tremaine told us. They fought over their women, and it brought so much attention to the pack that others found out about us.”
Fisting her hand in the front of Leland’s shirt, Glenna looked at each of them, struck by the anger and sadness in their eyes. “How did you get away?”
Covering her hand on his chest with his own, he wrapped the other around her and pulled her close. “The Tremaines knew the Alphas, and our parents apparently trusted them. Somehow they knew trouble was coming, and asked the Tremaines to take us to safety. They brought us here.”
“So how do you know your parents are dead?”
Graham got to his feet, his expression grim. “They’re dead.” He shot a look at Leland and Joe before his eyes met hers again. “We can’t allow ourselves to make the same mistake. There’s someone stalking us now. He has been for years, but ever since Leland and Joe started seeing you, it’s more often.”
Leland stiffened. “That’s enough.”
Thomas exchanged a look with Graham, his eyes hard when they met Leland’s again. “If you’re going to tell her the truth, you might as well tell her all of it. Her being here puts all of us in danger. It puts her in danger—something you might want to think about before you decide to keep her here.”
As the men filed out, Glenna looked from Joe to Leland and back again. “You’re in danger? Who’s stalking you? What does he want?”
Lifting her feet onto his lap, Joe started unlacing her sneakers. “We don’t know that we’re in danger. Someone’s been nosing around here for years, but we don’t know who it is and have never been able to catch him to ask him what the hell he wants.”
Slipping her shoes off, he sighed. “The rest of what he said is true. We care about you very much, Glenna, a hell of a lot more than we wanted to.”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Glenna nodded. “But you can’t take the chance of repeating your parents’ mistakes.” Forcing a smile, she flexed her foot as he removed her socks. “I understand. I wouldn’t want you to.”
Knowing that this might be her last chance, she blurted out what she’d been holding back for days. “I love you.”
Smiling at the flare of elation in their eyes, she laid her head on Leland’s shoulder and reached for Joe
’s hand. “Both of you. If anything happened to either one of you because of me, I’d never forgive myself.”
Leland’s arms tightened around her. “I don’t know what I feel, but loving you would put us all in danger. I just know I can’t let you go.”
“Neither can I.” Bending close, Joe touched his lips to hers. “If there was a way to keep you here—”
Blinking back tears, Glenna shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can I at least see you once in a while?”
Joe smiled. “You couldn’t keep us away.” Sitting back, he rubbed her feet. “Since you’re already here, would you like to stay for the rest of the day?”
Desperate to ease the tense atmosphere, Glenna sat up and smiled. “I’d love that.” She wouldn’t let depressing thoughts ruin whatever time she had left with them. “If you promise that none of your friends are going to eat me.”
Leland’s hand slid over her thigh. “That’s a promise, baby. Only Joe and I are allowed to do that.”
* * * *
Sitting on the bottom step of the large deck that ran the entire length of the back of the house, Glenna wiggled her toes in the grass. “It’s really beautiful here.” Leaning back against Joe, who sat on the step above hers, she rested her arms on his thighs and glanced up at him. “You’re so lucky to have grown up here. I swear, I could look at the mountains all day.”
“There are dangers here, too. Never forget that.” Joe pointed out to the distance. “If you’re ever here and go walking away, be careful of the ravine. It drops off sharply right at that line of trees. It’s a hell of a fall.”
Glenna nodded. “I’ll remember.”
By unspoken agreement, they didn’t talk about the future, and had spent the last hour just sitting out back while Leland met with several of their friends in the study about a job they’d been hired to do.
Joe bent, touching his lips to the top of her head. “It is beautiful here. Restful, too. We’re lucky that the Tremaines left this place to us.”
“Does everyone live in this house?”
“No.” Joe chuckled. “When we were younger everyone did, but as we got older, it got crowded. We started building other houses on the property.”
Glenna turned to look up at him. “Is the job out of the country?”
Shaking his head, Joe tapped her nose. “You’re nosy. I’m not telling you anything, so stop asking. Changing the subject and trying to trick me is going to earn you a spanking.”
“That’s so mean.”
Chuckling, Joe hugged her, nuzzling her neck. “Too bad. I think I’d enjoy it immensely. I think I could get you to enjoy it, too.”
“She still questioning you?”
Glenna jumped at the sound of Leland’s voice, her head whipping around in time to see him lower himself next to her. “You startled me!” It hit her suddenly that she now knew the reason they walked the way they did—silent and graceful.
Leland grinned. “Sorry.”
Glenna narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t look sorry. You know, one day, I’m going to sneak up on you and scare the crap out of you.”
Leaning back, Leland braced his elbows on the step behind him and stretched his legs out. “You couldn’t sneak up on me if you tried. I can hear a hell of a lot, see in the dark, and smell you long before you got to me.”
Intrigued, Glenna leaned back against Joe. “How does that feel?”
Leland shrugged. “It’s normal for me. I’ve been like this my entire life. Only the shifting changed. We didn’t do that until we were in our teens.”
“Really? I’ll bet that was scary.”
Leland’s lips twitched. “It was, but we already knew it would happen. Joe and I were the eldest and we already knew what to expect. We had to guide the others through it.”
“What does it feel like? Does it hurt?”
Reaching over, he covered her hand with his in a light caress. “No, baby. It doesn’t hurt.”
Frowning, she thought about earlier. It saddened her that Joe’s younger brother didn’t want her here, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Thomas, and how upset he’d appeared in the kitchen. “I understand why Vincent didn’t shift back. After all, he was trying to scare me. But, why didn’t Thomas? Did he want to scare me, too?”
Joe chuckled softly against her neck. “Because he would have been naked, like we were. When we shift, our clothes fall off if we don’t take the time to take them off before. Thomas knew he’d probably scare you more—and piss us off—if he were to suddenly appear naked in front of you.”
“Oh. Can you shift whenever you want to?”
Leland glanced at Joe, laughing softly. “Yes, and lately we’ve discovered that it happens sometimes when we don’t want it to.”
Joe laced the fingers of his left hand with hers. “Do you remember the night I took your virginity?”
Glenna’s face burned at the memory. “Of course.”
Lifting her chin, he stared down at her. “The reason that I had to leave the room so fast was because I could feel it happening. You literally brought out the animal in me. It happened to Leland, too. I ran into the bathroom and closed the door so that you wouldn’t see me. It would have scared you to death.”
Pleased that she’d had such an effect on him, she met his eyes. “So, that’s what that growl was! Leland convinced me that I was imagining things. Has that ever happened to you before?”
Joe grinned. “Nope. Scared the hell out of me.”
Delighted with his answer, she turned back to lean against him again. “When you…shift…do you still think the way you do now?” Waving a hand, she glanced at Leland. “I mean, do you know who I am, and do you understand when I talk to you?”
Leaning over, Leland kissed her arm, his eyes warm and affectionate. “Of course. That’s why we told you that no one here would hurt you. When we’re in panther form, we’re still us.”
Her thoughts went back to the way he sank his teeth into her neck when taking her from behind, Glenna shivered in remembered pleasure.
Joe’s hand tightened on hers. “Something wrong?”
Smiling up at him, she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I was remembering the way both of you held me with your teeth on my neck. It seemed so primitive at the time. So exciting.”
Joe stiffened, frowning. “And now?”
Leaning back against him, she grinned, lifting her arms around his neck. “Now, I understand it, and it’s even more exciting. You both seemed a little stunned that you did it. You didn’t do that with other women, did you?”
Leland moved closer, sliding a hand under her shirt to caress her breast. “No.”
With his lips in her hair, Joe caressed her other breast, a light, non-threatening caress of possession. “We’ve been doing our best to be careful with you. You test our control, and we’re both afraid of getting too rough.”
Her nipples beaded against their palms, the friction sending sharp stabs of need to her slit. “Hmm. That feels good. You’d never get too rough for me.” Meeting Leland’s dubious look, Glenna laughed, her laugh ending on a moan when he tugged at her nipple. “Oh, that feels so good. I like when you get a little out of control. It excites me, especially when I know that you get that way because I arouse you.”
Leland smiled and tugged at her nipple again. “You arouse me too much. I want you too much.”
With a moan, Glenna arched into their caresses. “Never too much.” Shivering at the feel of Joe’s warm lips on her neck, she closed her eyes and tilted her head to give him better access. She didn’t know how much time she had with them, and wanted to make every second count.
Leland released her and abruptly got to his feet. “He’s here. Get her inside.”
Joe lifted her against him as he rose, and hurried inside, dropping her to her feet in the middle of the kitchen, while shouting for the others. He turned her to face him, gripping her upper arms and bending to her level. “You stay right here. Don’t come outside. We’
ll be back for you soon.”
Glenna shook her head. “I’m going home.”
Reaching up, she laid her palm against his cheek. “I don’t want you to worry about me. Go do what you have to do. I’ll be home. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about you.”
His eyes hardened. “If I thought you would, you wouldn’t be leaving here. Leland and I are the Alphas here, Glenna. We have to put the pack before everything else.” Glancing behind him where the others raced out the door, he began stripping off his clothes, clearly distracted. “I’ll call you later. Be careful.” He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead before running out to join the others.
With a sigh, Glenna wrapped her arms around herself, hoping that they could find whoever it was that kept coming around.
Going to the window, she watched in amazement as several black panthers raced across the yard, and then heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle taking off.
Turning, she grabbed her shoes and purse, and went out the front door to her car, which they’d parked right outside the front door.
Leland and I are the Alphas here, Glenna. We have to put the pack before everything else.
Including her.
Chapter Thirteen
Something tickled her foot, a soft, fleeting brush of something warm and slightly rough. With a grunt, she tugged her foot back under the covers, and burrowed back into the cocoon of warmth.
Shuffling through her mental calendar, she remembered that she didn’t have any interviews today. With a sigh of contentment, she started to drift again.
Half-asleep, she became aware of the covers moving, and her legs being exposed, leaving them slightly chilled compared to the rest of her. Before she could kick them back over her again, something warm and slightly rough touched the back of her right knee, while another warm friction slid between the toes of her left foot, tickling her.
Hearing what sounded suspiciously like a purr, she stiffened, her pulse tripping.
Leland and Joe were back!