by Lori King
The shocked desire in her large purple eyes had satisfied the primal urge to attract his mate, and he had somehow managed to remain in control. The slight pink flush that covered her pale skin had drawn him like a magnet, and he knew there was no way he would ever be able to walk away from her. Even when she had told them she wasn’t interested, there was some sort of physical force that held his attention.
Rafe knew that there was more to Shandi’s story than she was letting on, but it wasn’t like they were long lost friends. He was going to have his work cut out for him just trying to earn her trust.
“What’s up, big guy?” a voice behind him asked, and he turned to see his younger sister Whitney next to him.
“Not much, Whit. Just standing here thinking about Liam and Tina.”
Whitney snorted and laughed. “Yeah, Liam made a hell of a mess out of that, didn’t he.”
“Hey, don’t give him too much trouble. He’s been to hell and back with losing Daphne and Roxy. He was scared that he might lose Tina, too,” he said with a frown.
“I know that, but he’s always been such a ladies’ man, and I find it really funny that he mucked it all up with her.” Whitney scrunched her nose up in a standard Whitney expression, and Rafe laughed.
“True enough, but it’s completely different when you’re face-to-face with your future. Trust me,” he said softly, and Whitney’s gaze sharpened on him.
“Yeah, Ryley said you guys found her. I’m happy for you, but I’m beginning to worry about all of these humans joining our ranks,” Whitney said wistfully.
“Hey, there are plenty of men out there, sweetie, so don’t go thinking that humans are going to snatch up all of the available mates.” Rafe knew his little sister better than she knew herself, but it surprised him that she might be longing for a mate herself.
Whitney was a stunning woman, with waist-length black hair that hung in soft waves and winked with streaks of blue fire in the sunlight. She had large gray eyes that seemed much older than her twenty-seven years, until they sparkled with laughter. She was a unique combination of serious and playful. The man who was destined for her would have to be a strong Alpha leader, because she had more Alpha Bitch in her than Rafe had seen in any other female werewolf. She also had a sarcastic side that could sometimes come off as snotty, but he was truly proud to call her sister, even if they didn’t share blood.
“I’m not worried…well, maybe a little. I’m getting older, and I want to have a family someday. Anyways, watching everyone run around chasing after their mates like puppies chasing their tails has dampened my rush for a mating. I like playing with all of the single wolves for now.” She grinned and winked at Rafe, causing him to groan.
“No way! Don’t go there, Whit. I can’t even think about you that way.” He growled in his throat, and then frowned harder at her when she giggled. “Who exactly are you playing with? Maybe I need to have a chat with them.”
“Oh no you don’t. You might be my big brother, but I’m a grown woman, and quite capable of handling myself. There isn’t an unmated wolf in this pack that I can’t handle, and you know it,” she said sternly. All hint of laughter and amusement had fled from her eyes, and they were slate gray and angry.
Rafe sighed heavily. “Damn it, just be careful. Things happen, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I know, and I love you for it.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, and he pressed his nose into her hair. She always smelled like flowers, and cookies. Whitney was notorious for her sweet tooth, and could often be found in their mom’s kitchen baking treats of some sort.
“I need to talk with Ry. We have a date tonight with Shandi, and we need a plan. I’m worried he’s going to overwhelm her,” Rafe said as they broke apart.
“Who, Ryley? Overwhelming a woman? No way!” She laughed at her own joke, and Rafe snorted.
“Yeah, she called me yesterday right after she talked to him, and boy was she on fire. I’m still not sure what all he said to her, but it must have been memorable.”
“So she’s a teacher, right?” Whitney asked as they walked toward Ryley, Liam, and Tina.
Rafe nodded. “Yep, Kindergarten. We went to the school for a fire safety presentation, and there she was. She wasn’t exactly jumping into our arms, but she was interested, too. I get the feeling she’s been hurt. She said that she isn’t dating and that she is just getting out of a relationship.”
“If she isn’t dating, then how is it that you guys scored a date with her tonight?” Whitney asked with a confused frown.
“I charmed her,” Ryley answered as he moved closer to them when he heard Whitney’s question.
“More like you bullied her into it,” Rafe responded, and Ryley just grinned.
“It worked, didn’t it?” Ryley said arrogantly
Liam and Whitney both frowned at Ryley and exchanged a glance with Rafe. The four of them were extremely close for being adopted siblings. Liam and Whitney were legitimately born to their parents Victoria and Henley Gray. When Rafe and Ryley were young kids, they came to the Gray Pack with their own parents, Tasha and Graham Whetstone. Originally their family was part of the Kaplan Pack from Juneau, Alaska, but something happened and they’d had to leave. Rafe had been so young at the time that his memories were foggy.
As always, thinking about his parents sent a wave of sadness and regret through Rafe, and he tried to distance himself from his memories. He would find out what happened to his parents eventually, but that was a task for another day. Right now he needed to focus on giving Shandi what she needed, so that she would fall in love with him.
“Ryley, don’t—” Tina started, but Ryley held up his hand, cutting her off.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, don’t push her, don’t force her, and don’t bully her. Go easy on her, and give her time and space. Blah, blah, blah,” Ryley said, rolling his eyes.
“You’re such an asshole,” Whitney said, causing Tina to burst out into laughter. Liam and Rafe both growled at Whitney in Ryley’s defense, even though Rafe agreed with her silently. “What? It’s true, he is. Ryley, this is the woman you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. She’s the woman who will bear your pups, and hold your hand when you need support. Why are you being so bitchy about taking things slow with her?”
After a tense moment of silence, Ryley sighed. “I don’t know. I just get all edgy and pissed off when I think about her. Hell, right now my wolf is butting against me trying to get out so that he can go find her. How do you think she would take that? Opening her front door to a four-foot-tall wolf that is really human, too, and wants to fuck her seven ways to Sunday?”
“Don’t be crude,” Rafe snapped, but he understood what Ryley was feeling. To his credit Ryley looked a little ashamed of himself, and even a little wistful.
“Why do I get the feeling that you are fighting your mating, Ryley?” Liam asked. The two brothers stared at each other for a few moments in silence, and then Ryley sighed again.
“I guess I am. I don’t know. It just came out of nowhere. All I’ve seen from watching you and Dev and Damon with your mates, is how much trouble they are,” Ryley said honestly.
“Who, me?” Tina asked in surprise. “I haven’t been any trouble for Liam!”
Rafe had to bite his cheek to keep from grinning. Now they were getting somewhere. Ryley was scared. Well hell, so am I, he thought to himself. Isn’t this a fine sort of puzzle. Shandi was scared of a relationship, and so were he and Ryley. They were sure to screw this up.
“Tina ran me around like crazy, but she came to her senses eventually,” Liam said with a cocky grin and a playful smack on Tina’s ass.
“I did nothing of the sort. You have to work for what you want in life, and I wasn’t about to let you have me easily,” Tina said arrogantly, but she kissed Liam and tucked her head against his chest lovingly. The two of them were the perfect balance to each other, and it sent a pang of jealousy through Rafe’s chest just watching them inte
ract. He wanted to have that with Shandi, too.
Whitney laughed. “Okay, after watching all of you, I’m actually relieved that I don’t have a mate.”
“He’s coming, pickle nose, just wait. You’ll have your hands full when he finally finds you,” Liam said with a smirk. Whitney groaned at the use of his pet name for her, but the rest of them laughed.
“It’s more likely he will have his hands full, if he’s lucky enough to be my mate. But if finding my mate means acting like a dumbass and moping around like a whipped puppy, then he can stay away. Anyways, I need to get moving. Come on, Tina, we have a lunch date with Caroline today. See you guys later,” Whitney said, kissing each brother on the cheek.
Tina kissed Liam and waved goodbye to Rafe and Ryley before the two women headed for the trees of the surrounding forest. None of the men even blinked when the two ladies stripped their clothes off and looped them around their necks for safekeeping. Nudity was part of a werewolf’s everyday life, so it didn’t bother them. The women both shifted into their wolves.
Rafe had to laugh at the difference in their shifting. Whitney was done in a second, but it took Tina a few moments. She was still really new to her wolf form, and learning to shift painlessly wasn’t easy. When they were both on all fours they took off running without a backward glance.
“I hope Whitney never finds a mate,” Ryley grumbled under his breath and Liam nodded.
“I figure there isn’t a man out there that’s strong enough to tame that bitch, so we have nothing to worry about,” Liam responded with a smile.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Rafe said softly, drawing their attention. “What? Did either of you really expect to meet your mates?”
Looking chagrined, both men flushed a bit. “So now that we’ve found her, what do we do with her?” Ryley asked with a perplexed look on his face.
“I wish I could give you advice, man, but I’m still trying to figure that out. At least she finally claimed me. For a time I was afraid it would never happen,” Liam said.
“Is she really doing okay after everything that happened?” Rafe asked. The traumatic kidnapping event was still very much on everyone’s minds.
“Yeah I think so. It’s getting easier on her to shift when she needs to, and she’s not having nightmares. The DA called yesterday and said that Carter plead guilty on all counts, but they think that he’ll end up getting admitted to a psych unit instead of put in jail. I think that disappointed her, but otherwise she’s spent a lot of time with the girls, Caroline, Whitney, and Tawny. Mom loves her, and has had her over several times. Caroline’s wedding planning is taking up a lot of her extra time. I’m anxious to get moved into the cabin already. I think it will help to have our own place,” Liam said.
“Tina’s a tough cookie. For her to go through that and come out so unaffected is impressive. It did just happen though, so keep a close eye on her,” Rafe said, and Liam nodded his agreement. “For what it’s worth, I can’t wait until you two get your own place, so that you can start popping out babies. There’s a mental image. Liam Gray—daddy wolf,” Rafe said with a laugh, and Ryley joined in.
“Someday maybe, but not right now. Whitney talked with Tina about setting up a medical clinic here at the den. That way she wouldn’t have to commute to work, and we wouldn’t have such a long drive for minor medical stuff,” Liam said with a wide smile.
“That’s a great idea! We could have used a clinic when Cash got shot. Shit, first Devin and Damon are reproducing, and now Liam is considering it. What has the world come to?” Ryley said with a shudder.
“I give it six months and you guys will be planning your own pups. Once your mate realizes that she can’t resist the mating bond it will be smooth sailing. Or at least smoother sailing,” Liam said with a wink.
“If you and Tina want to go for a run later let me know. I figure Ryley and I might need one after our date tonight,” Rafe said with a pointed look at Ryley.
“Only if I can’t convince her to have a sleepover,” Ryley grumbled.
Liam laughed. “I can sympathize, man. I spent many lonely nights after scenting Tina just wishing I could go to her. Hang in there, because once she accepts it…damn…it’s like heaven,” he said with a wistful sigh.
“Oh shut up. You’re starting to sound like an old mated man, and she just claimed you!” Ryley’s irritation was clear.
“It was one of the best things to ever happen in my life, Ry.” With that Liam, too, headed for the woods, leaving Rafe and Ryley alone in the now empty clearing.
“Well, big brother, what’s your grand plan?” Ryley snarled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rafe asked with a frown.
Ryley rolled his eyes. “I know you, Rafe. Just because I set the time and got the girl on board for the date doesn’t mean I get to plan the main event.”
Rafe shook his head at his younger brother. This was how it worked. Ryley was arrogant and cocky, but it drew the girls to him like flies to honey. Rafe on the other hand was more serious, and he had a secret romantic side. It had been his idea to send the flowers, and Ryley just went along with it. Now Ryley was waiting for Rafe to present some big plan for how to get their mate in line. “I don’t have a plan. All I know is that I want to spend time with her. I want to get to know her, and get her to trust us. We go as far as she lets us.”
Ryley nodded with a thoughtful expression. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot, but I’m not going to promise not to touch her.”
Rafe couldn’t hold in his laughter. “I wouldn’t ask you to. I plan to touch her as much as she’ll let me, and anywhere she’ll let me,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“I just hope we have more success tonight than we did the other night at the bar,” Ryley said as they both turned toward the trees in the distance.
“We might have had better luck if you hadn’t rushed it,” Rafe said.
“Shut up.” Ryley growled as he stripped off his jeans and hung them around his neck. Rafe was still laughing as he shifted into his wolf, and took off after his younger brother. There was no doubt that tonight was going to be interesting one way or another.
Chapter 7
Shandi stood in front of her bedroom mirror glaring at herself. She was frustrated that none of her clothing seemed just right for this date, and her time was running out. She wanted to portray indifference, without looking like she didn’t care. These two men were by far the hottest men she had ever dated. Holy hell, did I just admit to myself that I’m dating two men? I must have lost my mind. She shook her head, trying to shake away the crazy thoughts that were keeping her nerves balled up in her belly.
She finally sighed and headed for the bathroom to apply her makeup. The outfit she had on would just have to do. I’m not trying to impress them, she thought to herself, but she knew it was a lie as it went through her brain. She was wearing a khaki-colored skirt that flared out in pleats before ending just above her knees, and a dark-green sweater with a rounded neckline that just barely showed the uppermost swells of her breasts.
She shoved her feet into a pair of khaki wedge sandals, and clipped a silver ankle bracelet to her narrow ankle. The anklet matched the bracelet and earrings she wore, which had tiny silver butterflies decorated with emeralds in their wings. Her long, thick red hair she left falling freely down her back, but she slid a matching pair of silver butterfly combs in to hold it away from her face.
As she put on mascara and dabbed on lip gloss she grinned to herself. How long had it been since she had put so much thought into her appearance for a man’s sake? Years, easily. She had stopped caring about her appearance when her hair fell out after her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She couldn’t keep Jett from looking at her with disgust in his eyes, so she just shut it all out.
Now, she had been in remission for three years, but she still ran her hands through her hair in wonder. She would never forget the feeling of reaching up to scratch her scalp only to come away with
a handful of hair. It had shattered her sense of hope for the future, and it had taken a lot of therapy to get it back.
Shaking away her maudlin thoughts, she jumped when she heard the apartment buzzer sound. Nearly running to the speaker on the wall, she breathlessly buzzed them in and smoothed her hand over the upper curve of her ass. Well, like it or not, she was going out on a date tonight, and she was going to enjoy the company. Even if she knew there was no chance at a real future, she still needed to enjoy herself.
They knocked a moment later, and she felt a sense of calm settle over her frayed nerves. She reached for the door handle and tugged it open. The sight of the two large, blond men sent a spear of lust through her already jittery body, and she swallowed hard.
“Hi,” she said softly, and the brothers both grinned. She could see their nostrils flaring, and their pupils were dilated in that same way that made her want to drag them both to the floor and have her wicked way with them.
“Hi, angel,” Rafe said, stepping forward and kissing her on the cheek. She inhaled deeply, and had to force herself not to let her eyes drift closed at his enticing fragrance. “I missed you.”
His voice was as seductive as his scent, and his lips brushing over her skin had her creaming in her panties. This was going to be a long night if she couldn’t get her libido under control.
Ryley groaned loudly, drawing her attention away from his brother. She stared up into his blue-green eyes. His focus was sharp, and his lips were slightly open. “Damn, baby girl, you could tempt a saint.”
“Pardon?” she asked in surprise as he reached out to pull her up against his large chest, lifting her off of her feet. One of his arms looped around her waist, and his other hand went up to cradle the back of her head. She nearly sighed with relief when his lips finally touched hers in a tender kiss. It was nothing like the one at the bar. She knew that this time Ryley was holding back, trying to seduce her instead of push her, and it melted some of her defenses against him.
“You smell amazing, and you taste even better,” Ryley finally said when he pulled away a few inches to stare down at her.