by Lori King
“I’ve missed holding you, peaches,” he grumbled as he pressed hot kisses against her mouth, jaw, and throat.
She laughed and shivered as Thomas pressed against her backside. “You’ve been holding me the whole time we’ve been driving.”
“Yeah, but not the way I want to hold you.” He gripped her hips and lifted her until her legs wrapped around his waist. She locked her ankles, and held onto his shoulders while Thomas cupped her ass cheeks.
“Rambo, you better stop talking so much and get your clothes off.” Running her tongue over his Adam’s apple, she scraped the skin with her canine teeth, and grinned when he groaned.
Thomas massaged her ass through her jeans, and she turned to meet his mouth in a deep kiss. When they both pulled back, she tipped her head so that it was resting against his chest, while she remained wrapped in Bryson’s arms.
“If Bry can’t do the job, little one, I have wood hard enough to pound nails right now.” Thomas growled against her ear and she moaned.
“Fuck you, dickwad. I can take care of her. I bet I can make her scream louder than you can,” Bryson said, releasing one hand from her hip now that she was supported against Thomas too, and moved it to her swollen breast. She automatically thrust up into his hand, hoping that he would pinch and pull her nipples the way she liked him to. When he complied with her unspoken request she growled low in her throat, and her pussy creamed, scenting the air with her arousal.
“Challenge accepted, polar-boy. I’ll even let you go first.” Thomas pressed another kiss to the side of her neck, just nicking her skin with his teeth enough to make her squirm against Bryson, and then he stepped away from them. She watched him adjust his hard cock down the thigh of his jeans and then cross his arms tightly over his chest. Her mouth watered at the sight of that thick piece of meat just begging for release. As much as she liked that they were going to bring her to screaming orgasms, she was a little disappointed that it wouldn’t be at the same time.
Bryson managed to release her long enough to strip her jeans down to her ankles, and spin her to face a wide tree. Instinctively she knew he wanted her to bend over, and she braced herself against the rough tree bark. His fingers teased into her opening, and she spread her ankles as wide as possible to give him room. Expertly, he brought her to the edge of climax, and she was gasping and pleading for release when he finally thrust his cock into her.
She rocked forward into the tree, feeling the wood support her weight as Bryson lifted her off of her feet and held her by the hips, plowing his cock deep into her cunt. Spasms rippled through her inner vagina and she started to tremble. Reaching around her, Bryson gripped her clit between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed, just hard enough to make her scream his name, and come all over his hand and cock. Once he knew that she was finished, he pumped his own release into her, and pressed kisses to her spine.
“Perfection, peaches. You are absolute perfection. You didn’t even hesitate about having sex out here in the open where just anyone could interrupt us.” Bryson’s words brought reality crashing down around her, and she froze, her gaze darting around for an invisible intruder.
When he realized what made her tense up, Bryson chuckled. “There is no one here, ice, stand down.”
“Someone could have watched us!” she gasped in fear and arousal. She couldn’t have told him which emotion was stronger at the moment.
“That’s the beauty of it, little one. Anyone could be watching us fuck our mate to mind-blowing orgasms, and the whole time they will envy Bryson and I our positions.”
She gave him her best stink eye, and growled. “Are you saying you want strangers to want to have sex with me?”
Thomas sighed. “No, love. I’m saying that I’m proud of the mate I have, and I want other men to be jealous of the fact that I’m with her and they are not. Now stop talking before we run out of time, little one.”
He tipped her face and kissed her before dropping to his knees to help her remove her shoes and jeans. Once she was bare from the waist down, he pressed a kiss to her pubic bone, just above her pussy. The look on his face was very nearly reverent, and it warmed her heart.
Thomas stood, and lifted her up in the same position Bryson had held her earlier. Her legs wound around his waist, her arms tight around his neck. The display of strength didn’t go unnoticed by her, when he sat her down on his hard cock, and she felt the earth spin. From this angle there wasn’t a spot in her pussy that he couldn’t reach. Every time he lifted her and dropped her, her clit rubbed against him and she let out a small cry.
“Thomas, please!”
“In a minute, little one, first you have to scream for me.”
The next thing she knew, his fingers were wrapped in her hair, forcing her head backward so that he could reach her neck and collarbone. Just when her body started to clench on him and shudder with an orgasm, she screamed out his name, and bit down right over the first mating mark she had given him. Nothing could have ruined the moment.
Hell, at this point a reporter from the tabloids with a telephoto lens wouldn’t have upset her, and she rocked against Thomas until the waves of release subsided for both of them.
“Fuck, Doc. You just had to ruin my fun,” Bryson grumbled from beside them. He looked ridiculously disappointed, and KJ couldn’t resist a quick jab.
“I can’t help it if he knows just the right buttons to push,” she said as she climbed off of her mate, and began to redress.
“Next time, I’ll have the remote control, and I’ll pick which buttons we push,” he said with a chuckle in her ear, and a kiss on her temple.
Absolute perfection. This moment in time was just that.
Hours of driving and a dozen rest stops later, KJ saw the lights of Kansas City off to their west as they turned off of the highway onto the road into the den. The sun had only been up for a few hours, and most of the wolves in the van she rode in were sleeping. She was settled against Thomas, with his arm hanging over her shoulder, and his palm against her stomach, while her legs were draped over Bryson’s lap. Bryson slept deeply, while Thomas just dozed, but KJ couldn’t seem to quiet her mind as she entered the next phase of her life.
First things first, Tasha’s surgery had to happen as quickly as possible so that she had a fighting chance. Thomas had already spoken with Caroline, who was going to have a room set up and the tools needed to do the job. Calling in a few favors, Tina and Thomas were able to secure the items they would need, but KJ was still scared. Surgery was a big deal, made even bigger by the fact that they weren’t doing it in a real hospital. She trusted Thomas, but this was her mother, and right now her entire existence rested on him, Caroline, and Tina. It was terrifying for her, how must it be for her mother?
The van slid to a stop in front of the Alpha cabin, and KJ sat up ready to bolt out the door. Thomas’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“You can’t run yet, little one. We have a few things to clear up with the Alpha before you can stretch. When we’re finished you and Bry can go for a long run with the rest of the pack while I fix your mom.”
She nodded, blinking back tears. He was trying to make her feel better about the surgery, but he had been completely honest about the risks. Even if the surgery was successful and Tasha survived it, she still had a rough road ahead of her.
Devin and Damon Gray stood with Caroline on the porch of their cabin waiting as everyone unloaded. Rafe carried a wilted-looking Axel, while Ryley had his arms full of Jordan, and Shandi came running for them the moment she laid eyes on them. KJ watched in awe as the new little family formed, and Axel went right into Shandi’s arms.
Shandi rocked the child, as tears spilled down her cheeks, and Rafe kissed her gently. Ryley followed suit, but his kiss met her forehead because her lips were on little Jordan’s cheek. She was going to make a fantastic mother.
Relieved to see some positive coming from the devastating grief that they all still shared, she watched as the members of her family wer
e introduced to the members of the Gray Pack. The only one missing was Whitney, and oddly enough there were no Diego Pack members present even though the air still held their scent.
Cash moved up to KJ and Bryson who lingered near the van with Thomas, and he threw an arm over each of them. His normally beautiful face was marred by the black and blue bruise across his lower jaw from Thomas’s sense of justice, but his grin was full of mischief.
“Welcome home, guys! We managed to get you here, now we can all relax and let loose. I’m seeing a visit to Rustler’s in our near future!” Cash said.
“What is Rustler’s?” Bryson asked.
“Only the best bar in town with the best singer on stage,” Cash answered.
“It’s the bar that Cash sings at.” Owen filled in the blanks as the Alpha twins came over to meet them.
“KJ, it’s good to see you again. I hear you have some news,” Damon said eyeing Bryson curiously.
“Bryson Samuels, this is Damon Gray and his brother Devin. Devin is the Alpha of the Gray Pack.” KJ introduced them, and Bryson shook their hands. Thomas moved up behind her and kissed the top of her head.
“Little one, I’m taking your mother in to get her settled. We have to do the surgery soon, but you’ll have time to talk with her first. I love you.”
“I love you too, Doc. We’ll be in soon.”
Damon and Devin watched Thomas as he moved to help Graham get Tasha from the van and they led her in the house. When they were out of view, Devin turned back to Bryson.
“So you’re a Kaplan?”
Bryson shook his head. “I was a Kaplan, right now my only allegiance is to my mate and my partner. Where they go, I go.”
Devin cocked his head and looked Bryson over. “What level?”
“Omega.”
Surprise lit Devin’s face. “Really? I would have thought Beta.”
“No, in the Kaplan Pack no one who isn’t related to Evan Kaplan makes Beta level. We’re all just muscle, and based on how they left my fellow Omegas dead in Quiver Creek I would say we were just armor to protect Nico’s tender ass.”
Damon let out a low whistle. “I heard you guys had a tough time up there. Have you had any trouble on the trip back?”
“No, not a sound out of them since the battle, but it’s not over.”
KJ swung her eyes to stare at Bryson in shock. Surely it was over. There was no way Nicolas Kaplan would be stupid enough to show up here, right?
“You think they will attack us here?” she asked in a high-pitched voice that trembled with anxiety.
Bryson nodded. “Yes, I do. Nicolas won’t stop until he’s dead, peaches.” He met Devin’s steady gaze. “If you’ll have me, I would like to pledge my allegiance to you and your pack. My mate’s family is here, and I have no loyalty in my heart for Evan or Nicolas at this point.”
“I will gladly accept it. You are welcome here, but I don’t have an Omega position for you,” Devin said with a frown. Bryson’s face fell, and KJ’s heart followed it. What would they do if Bryson couldn’t help the pack? “I think you would serve us better as a Beta wolf, but you’ll have to prove yourself. Let’s call it a trial run. At the moment we are a little overwhelmed with people, as the Diego Pack is still here. They will be leaving soon.”
“And taking my little sister with them!” Liam snarled from behind KJ, and she frowned at him.
“What’s happened?”
“Whitney seems to have lost her mind and decided that two of those animals are her mates. Ridiculous,” Liam said. His pierced eyebrow arched in irritation, and the muscles of his arms bunched with frustration as he shifted in place.
“Shut up, hotshot. Whitney knows what’s best for Whitney and you will stay out of it.” Liam’s mate, Tina stepped up to his side, and she hugged KJ. “Welcome home. I’m glad to hear that I’m at least getting a new sister now that the one I thought I had is moving to Chicago with her new pack.”
KJ hugged the slim brunette back, and swallowed hard against the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “Thank you, Tina.”
“Well at least one female around here was smart enough to pick males of her species to mate with.”
The words pierced KJ’s heart, and she gasped in shock. Several growls of anger sounded, as she spun to face Luke who leaned against the van sulking like a child.
“What the hell is your problem, Luke?” she snapped.
“I’m sick of seeing wolves mate with humans. It’s bad enough we have to be secretive and hide what we really are from humans every day, why the fuck should we be bringing them into our pack?” Luke’s voice dripped acid, and his hazel eyes flashed with pent up rage.
“Luke, I didn’t choose to mate a human. You know that. Fate put me with Thomas. Just like it brought Bryson into my life,” KJ said, trying to control her temper before her wolf attacked Luke.
“Yeah, sure. Fuck Fate.” Luke pushed off the van and headed into the woods, leaving behind a stunned and furious pack of wolves behind.
“What the hell was that?” Tina asked.
Owen sighed. “All I know is he’s been acting like an ass ever since he realized KJ was mating Thomas. I don’t know what’s triggering it, but that kid has some serious anger issues.”
Devin looked furious. “I’ll handle Luke. No member of my pack will treat any other member like that. We fight too much adversity already, we don’t need to be fighting ourselves from within. Now, we had better get inside and get Tasha taken care of. Later tonight I’m sure there will be time for you all to meet the Diego Pack.”
Thomas watched as KJ and her brothers hugged Tasha one more time before surgery. Caroline stood nearby with her hand stroking her rounded belly and tears in her eyes. His anxiety was high. He knew how close to death Tasha was, but he couldn’t seem to make her children understand that. Graham met his eyes, and Thomas knew that he at least comprehended the gravity of the circumstances.
How would he be able to tell KJ that he failed if Tasha died under his hand? He loved her and he would do anything within in his power to make her happy, but at this point, he didn’t know if this was one of those things or not.
Turning to Tina, he nodded and she began the process of herding Tasha away from her children and into the office that they had set up for surgery. Thomas headed in the opposite direction to scrub up. He was nervous about doing this procedure in this location and with just the bare bones as far as tools went, but he had no other choice. Sure, he could refuse to do it, but then Tasha would refuse the surgery at all, and he would have to watch her die knowing that it was his decision not to try.
He scrubbed his hands until they were raw and pink before Tina stepped in covered in a mask and gown. Her eyes were the only thing he could see of her face, and they reflected his own tension.
“You ready for this, Tommy?” she asked, cocking her head as she helped him into a pair of gloves.
“I have to be, Tink. Is she ready?”
Tina nodded. “Caro has her down for the count. Thank God Devin bought that disaster kit last summer. The battery-powered respirator is the only reason we’re able to do this here.”
“Were you able to get a heart monitor, too?”
She nodded, and grinned, “Of course! I just charmed my way through a few friends at St. Leo’s. We got all of the sterilization equipment and the oxygen tank from there, too.”
“You realize that is ridiculously illegal, right?” Thomas asked.
“That’s where the rush of excitement comes in. We’re saving her life, Tommy. Now, let’s get to it before we lose our window of opportunity.”
Thomas led the way back into the office where Tasha lay on a table that had been raised about eight inches to make it high enough for him to reach. Caroline sat next to her, monitoring her blood pressure, pulse, and the oxygen tank. Comforted by the sound of the oxygen tank’s hiss, he moved with purpose directly to his patient’s side without really paying any attention to Caroline. “Okay, do we have everything?”
“Don’t move,” Caroline whispered, and Thomas’s eyes shot up to hers. She was pale faced, and her hands trembled on her lap as she stared over his shoulder. Thomas swallowed hard, and suddenly he caught a familiar scent in his nose.
Nicolas Kaplan.
Turning slowly, he found himself face-to-face again with the oversized man. His long white hair was pin straight, but his eyes were as wild as the overgrown beard on his jaw. He held Tina by the throat up on her toes, squeezing hard enough she couldn’t have sounded the alarm, but not tight enough to really hurt her. “Hello again, human…or should I say, wolf? Tell me, how does a human go about shifting into a werewolf?”
“What do you want, Nicolas?”
“I heard a vicious rumor that you have mated with my intended, but I’m sure it’s just a rumor, right?”
“I am mated to KJ.”
“Well damn the luck. I’m going to have to kill you now.”
Thomas’s eyes shot to Tina’s, and back to Nicolas’s. “If you kill me, it will kill her.”
Nicolas laughed. “No, see I already knew you had fucked my bride, and I know that my ex-Omega Bryson Samuels has mated her too. Once I finish with you, I intend to keep him just barely alive, and make him watch while I fuck the shit out of Katie Jo Whetstone.”
“You won’t make it out of the den alive.” Thomas’s mind was racing. He had to do something. His wolf was so loud in his brain that he was beginning to wonder if it was making noise out loud.
“Surely you don’t believe I would come alone? Right now my Omegas are ripping the rest of your pack to pieces. There will be nothing left of the Gray Pack but the empty cabins they once occupied.” Kaplan’s laugh had an eerie, hollow quality to it, and it sent butterflies fluttering in Thomas’s stomach. He had to keep Nicolas talking until he figured out a plan to get out of this mess.
“All because of a gold mine that may or may not exist.”
Nicolas’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, it exists all right. Tasha knew where it was, but alas she won’t be alive long enough to lead the way, so her daughter will have to do.”