Levi jumped to his feet with a growl, startling Adam. “She’s here.”
Really? “Who’s here, Levi?”
“It’s her. My mate. I felt her.”
Adam wasn’t altogether surprised. It wasn’t unheard of for shifters as close as they were to share a mate. “Mine, too. The woman in all black? At table four?”
“Yes.” Levi looked down at Adam and half-laughed, half-growled before retraining his eyes on the newcomer. “I should have guessed we’d share a mate.”
“Sit down before you scare her off. She’s human, so she won’t have felt it. You’re giving off a whole pyscho-stalker vibe.”
Levi was obviously reluctant, but he sat down anyway. “I guess we can’t just go over and grab her.”
Adam growled with the same frustration he knew Levi felt, but he forced himself to be patient. “No, we can’t. We’ll have to approach her just like human men would.” If she’d been a shifter, they’d have immediately gone over to stake their claim, but this situation had to be handled more carefully. They couldn’t risk running her off.
“Let’s wait for them to place their order and then go introduce ourselves.”
Adam and his foster brother Levi were sons of one of the alphas of Clan Liekos, the large clan of wolf shifters that mostly lived in the River’s Bend territory and ran the town of Silver Spring. The clan owned this restaurant, The Blue Moon, as well as a bar, a bakery, and most of the other businesses. Many of Silver Spring’s residents were shifters who preferred town to the more rural River’s Bend, but there were humans who called the little town home as well. The woman his mate had come in with, Sarah, had been one of those humans until she met clan members Jackson and Wes. They’d claimed her, and now Sarah was one of them.
The waitress took what seemed like forever to finally leave table four. The moment she walked away, he and Levi were on their feet and on their way to meet their destiny.
“Hey, Sarah. Jackson, Wes. Good to see you.” He barely managed to grind out the pleasantries and wait for the how-are-you’s to go around as his mate’s smell grabbed hold of him and threatened to expose his wolf. His body responded with a quickening of his heart and a tightening in his balls.
He turned from greeting those he knew to focusing all of his attention on her. “And who is this?” She was gorgeous, sex incarnate, even in the modest dress she wore. When she looked up at him, her hazel eyes held heat quickly veiled with a barely curious expression. That was okay. There was time.
“This is my sister Hope. Hope, these are the Black brothers, Adam and Levi. Their family…owns the place.”
Hope looked from Adam to Levi. “Nice to meet you.”
When Hope smiled, Adam’s world tilted, and when she spoke, he had to fight to keep his cock in line. Her voice differed from any woman’s he’d ever heard. It was throaty, husky and soft all at once, and suddenly Adam’s number-one goal in life was to hear her moan his name from under him.
“Hope is visiting us from Philadelphia,” Sarah added.
Adam extended his right hand to Hope, who reluctantly shook it and then Levi’s. “I didn’t know Sarah had a sister. It’s great to meet you, Hope.” Did she feel that jolt of electricity when their hands touched? Had Levi?
Her expression had changed from almost friendly to rather wary. It said, “You’re hot, but please go away now.” Adam had no intention of going, not until he learned more about her. The way she stared up at him, with her beautiful eyes and her slightly parted lips, the way her breasts moved as she breathed, the smooth expanse of skin he could see thanks to the V-neck of her dress, had his interest. But it was her scent that maddened him and made him want to rip her out of that chair. Something nearly stopped his heart, though. He hadn’t noticed it right away, but she wore a simple gold band. A wedding ring?
* * * *
Hope refused to let her nervousness show, but something about the way Adam and Levi looked at her made her want to run and hide. There gazes felt intense, almost predatory, and when they shook her hand, she felt something like electricity coursing through her veins. She met their eyes squarely, smiling and answering their polite questions, but her nipples hardened at their nearness and her pussy did something it hadn’t done in quite a while. It got wet without any real provocation.
Well, maybe it was provoked a bit. Maybe it was because she was sitting down and they were standing up, but both men seemed impossibly tall. Adam was built as if he could shoulder the world and still have strength to spare. He had the most amazing blue eyes she’d ever seen and jet-black just-had-sex hair. She couldn’t help imagining running her hands through it as she rubbed his five o’clock shadow all over her breasts. Levi was just as muscular, with slightly longer dark-brown hair and green eyes she could lose herself in. His lips were full and so sensual her own tingled just looking at them.
“Everything’s on the house tonight, gang. Enjoy your meal. Hope, Levi and I would love to get to know you. How about a drink at the bar when you’re done?” He gestured at the full bar behind him and Hope’s mind immediately conjured the image of her laid out on the bar with the two of them doing all kinds of wild things to her right there in the restaurant. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her. Her entire body felt flushed and tingly, her mouth suddenly dry. It must be all of Sarah’s talk about ménages.
“Thanks, but I haven’t seen my sister in years. And I’ve only just met her m—Jackson and Wes.” She’d almost swallowed her tongue over the whole “her men” thing. “I really want to spend this time with them. Maybe some other time?” It was an empty question. She hoped never to see them again. The way they made her feel was dangerous.
“We understand. Don’t we, Levi?”
The look on Levi’s face said no, but fortunately, his brother managed to give the right answer. “Yes, but we’re going to hold you to that drink another time.”
“Enjoy your night,” Adam said, inclining his head at Jackson and Wes.
“I hope to see you soon,” Levi added, his eyes boring into Hope’s.
When they finally turned away, Hope let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She was relieved that they went back to their own table, but as much as she enjoyed dinner with Sarah and her men, Hope could feel Adam’s and Levi’s eyes on her the whole time. They kept her senses on high alert, and it was everything she could do to keep from glancing their way. That part of her that had become a ball of horniness in their presence wanted to run right over and tell them she’d changed her mind. Thank God the sensible part overruled that sex-starved bitch.
* * * *
Levi was in the middle of dressing down an errant employee when he heard the click of heels and caught Hope’s scent, turning to find her coming in his direction. He’d left the dining room at Adam’s insistence, only grudgingly in agreement that they shouldn’t continue to stare her down. Adam had gone outside to get some air, and just when he’d managed to take his mind off her for a few minutes, there she was, walking straight for him.
He jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen, dismissing the waiter, and then squared his shoulders, steeling himself against the impulse to let his wolf have free reign to pounce.
“How was your meal?” He hoped his voice sounded calm despite the fact that his body was tight with the tension of his restraint.
“It was very good, thank you.”
“Have you had dessert yet?” He knew she hadn’t, but he’d do anything to keep her in the restaurant longer. Even if he couldn’t just take her, he could find excuses to wander past and breathe in her scent. “We have a strawberry cheesecake the locals rave about. I can send some to your table.”
“That’s nice of you, but I couldn’t eat another bite. I’m just headed to the bathroom before we leave.” Her hair brushed her shoulders as she shook her head, and Levi had to clench his fists to keep from reaching out to touch it. It looked heavy but silky smooth, and he itched to wrap it around his fists as he pulled her toward him.
She moved to step around him, the ladies room just a few feet away, but Levi saw his chance to touch her and reached out to grab it, stepping back into her path. “Here. You have a little something leftover from dinner.” He brushed the back of his knuckles gently over her lips, removing the barely there hint of sauce he’d seized as his excuse.
Her eyes widened at his touch, but she didn’t pull away from him right away. He heard her sigh and wondered if she felt the same electric thrill at the connection as he did. The way she looked up at him reminded him of a deer trapped in headlights, though this one looked as if she wanted to be there. And her scent, that didn’t lie. She was powerfully affected by his touch, his nearness.
The moment didn’t last long enough. She stepped back with a little laugh. “Well, that’s embarrassing. You’d think I’d do a better job of feeding myself after almost thirty years of life.”
“It happens.” She moved to walk away, so he reached out again. “Wait, you have a little something here, too.” He stroked her cheek this time, noting how perfectly smooth her skin was.
“You’re kidding! I don’t usually make that much of a mess. I hope no one else noticed.”
“They didn’t. That last one was just an excuse to touch you again.”
She looked up into his eyes and visibly shuddered. “I don’t quite know what to say to that, so I’ll be on my way.”
“Say you’ll have a drink with me.”
The flash in her eyes told him she wanted to, and so did the way one side of her mouth quirked up almost into a smile. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I can’t.”
“Just one drink.”
“Not this time.”
“You don’t want to?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it just as quickly, shaking her head with a sigh. When she opened it again, it was to deliver a rejection that belied the look of desire in her eyes. “Look, it’s a nice offer, and maybe I’d take you up on it at another time, but not tonight.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”
Adam would be proud of how tightly he controlled his wolf as she walked past him and he caught a supreme view of her round ass.
Hope paused just before pushing into the ladies room, cocking an eyebrow and hitting him with a grin that made his inner wolf pant with excitement. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Chapter 2
“I can’t believe we’re arguing over this. You’re worse than Mom. Even she wouldn’t try to force me.” Hope was beyond annoyed. On her third day in Silver Spring, a deliveryman had come with a beautiful bouquet of white roses and an invitation to tour the town. It was from Adam and Levi, and Sarah wouldn’t shut up about it.
“I just want you to be happy. As happy as I am. You deserve that.”
“What, exactly, makes you think I’m not happy?” Hope felt on the verge of screaming. They’d been back and forth over this point for the better part of an hour. Sarah seemed to think a date with Adam and Levi was critical, and of course, Hope disagreed.
“Living like a hermit can’t make you happy, and it certainly isn’t healthy.”
“I don’t live like a hermit!”
“What do you call it, then? You do all of your work at home. I bet the only time you actually leave the house is when you hang with Mom on Sundays.”
“I love my work. Most people would kill to work from home, and I get out plenty. How would you even know how I live anyway? You moved all the way out here, practically a day away.”
“Mom told me.”
“Great, so you two don’t have anything better to do than gossip about me?”
“It’s not gossip. We worry about you. You’re still wearing that goddamned wedding ring. And you’re not even 30 years old yet! That’s too young to just shrivel up and die.”
That was about all Hope could stand to hear. “I’m sick of defending myself for not being happy enough for the rest of you. And my ring? That’s none of your business. It’s nobody’s concern but mine.” Her voice rose steadily and she struggled to reign her frustration in.
“I just want you to be h—”
“Oh, I know. You want me to be happy. Why wouldn’t I fucking be happy? The man I loved with every cell of my body fucked my friend while I was on my way to surprise him. And then I found out that wasn’t the first time. While I was washing his shirts and cooking his fucking food, he was screwing her, and both of them were laughing about it. And all of our plans, all of my hopes are just gone. I couldn’t bear to finish the house we started building together, and I can’t even look at a baby without wanting to burst into tears. That dream was taken from me just before I caught them together. Now, all I have are memories and photographs to remind me of the man I was supposed to grow old with, who clearly never even loved me. And you know what really hurts? I believed every lie he told me. I thought I was as much his world as he was mine. And I do want to move on. I want to live again, but I can’t because I’m too damned scared.”
Sarah had remained silent through Hope’s tirade. “Scared of what?”
“Scared no one will love me. Scared I can’t have children or keep a man happy. Scared that I will find someone else to love after all, and then I’ll forget how badly Brad hurt me, and it will happen all over again. I spent months wondering what was wrong with me. Trying to figure out when he’d stopped loving me or if he ever had. Feeling like less than a woman. And I can’t take that again. I can’t stand that kind of pain. I’m a strong woman, but I know…I know it will break me.” The last part of her confession escaped on a sob and Hope knew she had to stop. If she started crying then, she wasn’t sure she’d stop anytime soon.
She hated dredging up the feelings she tried so hard to avoid, and the look in Sarah’s eyes, the tears she saw there just made everything worse. She had to get out. She could hardly breathe.
“I have to go. I have to get out of here.” She slipped her shoes on her feet and looked frantically around for her car keys.
“Go? Go where?”
“For a drive. I just need some air.”
Sarah jumped up. “I’ll go with you.”
“No!” Hope spoke a little too loudly, and Sarah stopped in her tracks. “No,” she repeated, striving for a calmer tone. “I just need a little space. I’ll be back.” She all but ran out the door, hoping Sarah wouldn’t follow her. Hope knew she should apologize for her rant. Sarah meant well, but that would have to wait. At the moment, she was too angry at the whole damned world to deliver any kind of sincere apology.
* * * *
Levi and Adam had been driving around for over an hour looking for the navy-blue Volvo belonging to their fated. Sarah had called them around seven p.m., saying she and Hope had argued and Hope had driven off by herself. Sarah had become worried when it started getting dark and Hope hadn’t returned. The area’s back roads could be tricky for visitors to navigate in the dark. Sarah was out with Jackson and Wes looking everywhere they could think of, and he and Adam had jumped right into the search. It was too soon to file any sort of missing person’s report.
“What could they have argued about?” Levi asked for the third time that night. He tended to repeat himself when he was worried. Though they’d only just met Hope, the claim she had on him was already clear, and he couldn’t stand the thought that she might be somewhere hurting and needing them.
“I don’t know. There was no time to ask questions.” Adam handled his worry in an altogether different manner. While Levi got wound up and ready to strike, Adam became the calm before the storm. Of course, Levi knew from experience that Adam’s demeanor could change at a moment’s notice. If something threatened someone he loved, Adam could go from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. If there was anyone he would trust to love and keep his mate safe, it would be Adam. He wouldn’t want to share her with anyone else.
Levi pounded the steering wheel, frustrated beyond belief. “We’ve looked everywhere I can think of. Some places twice. Where the hell is she?” Rain h
ad begun to fall, making visibility even worse on the poorly lit back roads. He and Adam could see just fine, but a human would definitely have trouble.
Adam sighed and shook his head. “Maybe she was angry enough to head back to Philadelphia. But that doesn’t make sense. Sarah said she left her laptop and all of her luggage behind.”
“Let’s check over in Kensington. You know that bar off 61?” It was beyond their territory and not a place they’d want their fated to end up, but if she’d gotten lost and needed to take shelter from the storm, she might have gone there. It was on one of the roads that led to the only highway travelers used to access the Silver Spring area. It was also a favorite place to call home for some of the worst kind of shifters.
* * * *
Hope felt good, good and tipsy. She didn’t frequent bars, especially alone, but she’d somehow gotten turned around in the storm and had no idea how to get back to Sarah’s. She’d silently cursed herself for leaving without her cell phone but figured the Last Drop Bar was as good a place as any to stop. Otherwise, it was just pull over to the side of the road and wait for the rain to let up, and that held no appeal for her. Besides, the outside of the place looked more like a homely old diner than a bar, despite what the sign said.
When she’d walked in, there only been a few others sitting at the bar, a couple engrossed in conversation, an elderly man and a gloomy guy in work boots. She’d asked to use the bar’s phone to call her sister, but the call hadn’t gone through. Maybe because of the storm. With nothing else to do and still feeling like she’d been run over by an emotional dump truck, she’d decided to have a drink and then another, and another still before she tried calling again. The result was a much happier Hope.
Claiming Hope [Wolves of River's Bend 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2