Only as he came down from his release did he realize he’d forgotten to use a condom, which was more for her protection than anything. As a shifter, his body healed too quickly to allow any STD to take hold, and he would never believe she had such a thing anyway. As far as he knew, she hadn’t been with anyone since her divorce. Still, the woman who had yet to accept them as her mates would probably not welcome a pregnancy. As for Levi, the thought of her belly swollen with his pups had him grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 6
Hope woke to find herself tucked between Levi’s arm and his chest. She breathed deeply, allowing herself to enjoy his masculine scent before getting up. From look of things just outside Levi’s window, she determined it was full-on morning and she wanted to get back to the lodge before Adam or Sarah woke up and went looking for her. She hadn’t meant to stay with Levi all night.
She was just sliding away when Levi’s arms tightened around her, and before she knew it, he’d pulled her on top of him. She looked down into one of the sexiest grins she’d ever seen just before he laid a kiss on her.
“Morning,” he said, moving on to kiss the sensitive spot on her neck.
Mmmm, she had to admit that felt good. “Morning yourself. I was trying not to wake you.”
“No worries. You can wake me like this anytime.” He punctuated his words by palming her ass cheeks.
Hope pushed back to continue her exit from the bed, only to find herself locked tighter in his arms.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“To the bathroom. Then I need you to take me back to the lodge.”
“I can think of better things to do.” He moved his hips, driving his point home.
Her body was all too eager to betray her, nipples hardening and pussy creaming at the slightest provocation from him. “Adam said he’d meet us back there last night, and now it’s morning. The least we can do is get back there now.” Damn, her voice lacked conviction. It was the way he kissed her shoulder and ran his hand lightly between her legs. She found it difficult to put up a fuss pressed up against him like that.
Laughter rumbled in his throat and then he deftly switched positions, ending up on top of her. “I told you, you worry too much,” he said between kisses. “You don’t have to worry about jealousy between us. Now, if another man tries to touch you, he’ll lose a limb. But your pussy is ours, and we’re prepared to share it.”
There was an argument against any part of her body belonging to anyone else, and it was right on the tip of her tongue. But when he flicked his tongue over and around her nipple, she lost her train of thought. When his fingers touched the still-sensitive flesh he’d just described, she realized there was little chance she’d recover it. And when he’d worked her to a fever pitch of desire and then entered her, growling his pleasure in her ear, she promptly forgot that she’d been planning to protest in the first place.
* * * *
“Adam will think it’s cute that you were worried about him.” Levi kissed her nose before opening the car door and gesturing for her to get in.
When he slid in beside her and started the engine, she couldn’t stop herself from scolding him again. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me Adam never came home…I mean back to the lodge last night.”
“Home. I like the way you say that.”
“I meant back.” Ugh. She really did sound like a wife.
“He texted late last night that there was a problem over in the northern part of our territory and he’d probably be up all night taking care of it.”
“And that didn’t worry you? Not at all?”
Levi shrugged as he maneuvered the car out of the driveway and onto the small road that led to the lodge. “Adam can handle himself, and if he needs help, he’ll call for me. Besides, he expected me to take care of you and that’s what I did.”
“What kind of trouble was it?”
“He didn’t say, but we’ll see him at breakfast. You can ask him.”
“Do you always eat breakfast at the lodge?” Hope was feeling nervous about the whole idea, remembering all those eyes on her the previous day. She hadn’t felt threatened, but being the center of so much attention was murder on an introvert.
“Maybe a few times a week. I would have made breakfast this morning and brought it to you in bed, but it’s important that you to have breakfast at the lodge today.”
That was just what she needed to hear. “Me? Why?”
“You’re a human who’s going to have free reign of clan territory. We need to let our clan members see you and catch your scent.”
“Will everyone be there? The entire clan?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“No. We can’t fit everyone in the lodge at the same time, but those who live closest and can make it will be there. Others will get their chance at the next clan gathering.”
Great. There would be another see-and-sniff event? “What would happen if they didn’t catch my scent? Would they attack me?”
“You must really see us as animals, huh? Okay, yeah, we are, but we aren’t. We’re civilized enough not to attack humans, except in self-defense or to protect our own. But if a random human was found wandering around our land, she’d be either escorted off our property and told never to trespass again or taken to one of the alphas, who’d then decide what to do with her. Luckily, we haven’t had a problem with trespassing humans.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, Silver Spring is a small town, and the humans there are good about minding their business. Then there’s the fact that River’s Bend is such a remote area. Plus, I think there’s instinct at work.”
“What do you mean?”
“Animals can scent humans and become wary, right? Well, I think the same thing happens when humans get close to River’s Bend. They don’t know what it is, but being close to so many wolves puts them on some sort of high alert and they can’t wait to head in the opposite direction.”
“I wonder why that didn’t happen to me. I honestly didn’t feel strange at all that first night. I wasn’t afraid until I saw Adam change the next day.”
They’d arrived at the lodge and Levi had pulled the car around the back, parking it in front of one of the seven garage doors. Hope was glad of that. At least she wouldn’t have to walk through the throng of wolf shifters she’d seen waiting outside.
Levi cut the engine and turned to face her, his gaze warming her and alleviating some of her nervousness. “I don’t have an answer for that, but I can tell you what I think.”
“Okay, what?”
“I think humans have some of the mating instinct wolf shifters do. I think they’ve just stopped paying attention to it and let themselves be overcome by so many other things that they can no longer sense it. But I think it’s still there, just under the surface, and when you came to River’s Bend, your body instinctually knew you belonged here, so you weren’t nervous or afraid. You were only frightened when you saw something you believed wasn’t possible.”
“So, you’re saying my intellect got in the way of my instinct?”
“Exactly.”
She had to admit, it made a weird sort of sense, but this explanation didn’t do much for her hope that he’d accept that, as great as they were together in bed, she didn’t intend to stick around. Neither did the way he gave her a hand up out of the car and pulled her into a hungry kiss. That kiss said he’d enjoyed having her not more than an hour ago, but he still hadn’t had enough.
* * * *
The worst part was over, and it was with a sigh of relief that Hope sat between Adam and Levi at a long, sturdy wooden table in the lodge’s dining room. She’d gone up to her room to shower and change her clothes, then squared her shoulders and walked back out to meet Levi, hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as she’d imagined. When she’d crossed the threshold with Levi, it had been like a celebrity had entered the room, and Adam had gotten up, walked over to them, and kissed her possessiv
ely in front of everyone. Then, he’d announced her, telling everyone that she was their mate.
The large dining room full of shifters had answered back with a “Welcome, Hope” that almost sounded rehearsed and then gone back to eating. As she’d stood at one of several heavily-laden buffet tables with Adam and Levi, some of them had come over to greet her personally, but they hadn’t swamped her like she’d expected. And no one made her feel intimidated or out-of-place. Everyone who approached her seemed friendly, and except for the huge size of many of the men, it was easy to forget they were so different.
Gradually, she had started to relax while Adam and Levi piled her plate high with more food than she could eat in three days’ time. The buffet was abundant enough to feed a whole army. Shifters stopped by here and there to say hello as they ate, but she didn’t have to say much since most of the time she had a mouth full of food. Levi hadn’t exaggerated. The food was delicious.
“Morning!” Nikki said brightly, sliding into a seat across from Hope. “How was your night?”
Hope hadn’t seen Nikki come in, but she was happy to see her. She could easily see them becoming good friends. The woman’s open friendliness made it hard to do anything else. “It was good…fine.” Was she going to blush again? She sure hoped not.
Two men, every bit as large as Adam and Levi, took seats on either side of Nikki. They had two plates piled even higher than hers and one that held just enough for a human-and-a-half. They pushed the plate with the least food in front of Nikki, who smiled at both men in turn.
“Hope, these are my mates, Luke and Mason.” She glanced down at her overloaded plate. “They spoil me.”
The one Nikki introduced as Mason greeted her first. “Hey, Hope.” He and Luke looked very much alike, both exceptionally handsome with dark hair. The main difference was that Luke had gray eyes and Mason’s were brown with a golden tinge.
Luke took his seat, then grinned over at her. “It’s great to meet the woman who snagged both Black brothers. I swear, they haven’t shut up about you since you met.”
“Well, you can see why, can’t you?” Nikki winked at her. “She’s beautiful.”
“We only have eyes for you,” Luke said, leaning over to kiss Nikki. “No offense, Hope.”
“None taken.” Hope watched, somewhat fascinated, as Nikki kissed first Luke and then turned to offer her mouth to Mason, who seemed to match the other man in passion for her. Finally catching herself staring, she fastened her eyes on her plate instead, waiting for them to come up for air.
Adam laughed. “Gross, isn’t it?”
Levi reached across the table and nudged Luke. “Yeah, man, I told you before. That’s my sister.”
“I know, it’s like, get a room, right?” These words came from the shapely brunette who’d come to stand behind Nikki and her men. “Hey, everybody. I had the day off, so I had to come meet Hope.” She looked down at Hope, smiling. “Word has it you already have these guys crazy for you. I’m Robyn.”
Soon the group of six had turned to nine as Nikki’s friends Robyn, Mikayla, and Amber joined them. Though there was quite a bit of good-natured joking, they all made her feel very welcome, and Hope ended up laughing right along with them. She only felt awkward when they called Adam and Levi her mates, but she decided to shrug it off rather than explaining the truth repeatedly. That was between her, Adam and Levi, anyway.
She was surprised to find them all so normal. They were wolf shifters, but they could easily have been just a very close group of humans having a good time. What really amazed Hope was how comfortable Nikki and her mates seemed. Like Adam and Levi, they were brothers, but she didn’t sense any jealousy or competition there. They insisted on feeding Nikki bites of their food, and they couldn’t seem to stop touching her. It was much like what she’d experienced so far with Adam and Levi. Whenever either one was in her vicinity, there were these little touches that kept her constantly aware of them.
As if she could forget.
“Well, we’re going to head out.” Nikki pushed her chair back.
“Bet we can all guess where they’re heading out to.” Robyn rolled her eyes, laughing.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Luke said. “We’re going to work on the house.”
“But there’s always time for a detour,” Mason said, helping Nikki to her feet.
Nikki smiled up at him and then turned to Hope. “Maybe we’ll see you later?”
Hope had no idea what Adam and Levi had planned for her. “Sure. Maybe.”
“You know what? The girls and I are planning to take a dip in Hollows Lake this afternoon since we’re having this late heat wave. It’s no men allowed, so we can talk about them behind their backs. Why don’t you come with?”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.” It did. She liked Nikki and her friends. “But I don’t have a bathing suit with me.”
“No problem. I have a couple of brand-new suits I bet would fit you. Sarah’s coming. It’ll be fun.”
Hope hadn’t seen Sarah yet, though that wasn’t a huge surprise. Her sister liked sleeping in. It would be great to have some time to just relax with her sister. “It does sound like fun.” She glanced at Adam and Levi and found they wore matching frowns. “What is it?”
“No way. It’s not safe,” Adam said.
Nikki tossed her hair over her shoulder and frowned down at Adam. “Seriously? With all the extra security you have set up? No one’s crossing our borders. Besides, it will be broad daylight.”
“I said no, Nikki.”
Suddenly the group got very quiet, and more than a few eyebrows were raised. Nikki put her hands on her hips and looked ready to argue the point. Hope got the feeling she didn’t hear the word “no” very often, at least not from Adam, but she didn’t need anyone to fight her battles. “You can’t say no for me, Adam.”
“You’re not going. It’s not safe.”
“You said they’d be idiots to show up here, and that even if they did, they’d never be able to get close to me.”
“That’s true, but that doesn’t mean you should just go gallivanting all over the place.”
Levi apparently agreed with his brother. “I’d feel better if you just stayed with us, Hope.”
Suddenly, going was very important to her. “If Sarah goes, I go.” She crossed her arms over her chest. It couldn’t be that risky if Jackson and Wes were letting Sarah go. And with the way Luke and Mason looked at Nikki, she didn’t believe they’d let her out of their sight unless she was one-hundred-percent safe. Besides, she didn’t like the stubborn set of Adam’s jaw. He had to learn from the get-go that she made her own choices. “I’m not your property, or even your mate yet. I’ll go where I want.” Adam’s frown deepened and he opened his mouth, clearly ready to argue.
Nikki laughed. “Don’t bother, Adam. Looks like you lost this one.” She leaned over and patted his hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.”
Adam said, or rather, growled something in response, but Hope didn’t hear it. Levi picked that moment to lean over and whisper in her ear. “You said yet.”
“What?”
“You said you weren’t our mate yet.”
He was right. She had.
* * * *
It had been a good day. Hope had gone up to drag Sarah out of bed and spent the day talking and playing cards with her sister. They’d had lunch in Sarah’s room, as Hope hadn’t been ready to face another crowd.
At around three o’clock, Adam and Levi had come to escort her to Nikki’s, walking this time rather than driving, and she’d tried on the extra bathing suits, if you could call them that. They were far skimpier than anything she’d worn in ages. With much angst, she finally settled on a white bikini that Nikki said contrasted her coloring nicely. As far as Hope was concerned, its most critical merit was the fact that it covered more skin than the others. Nikki had donned a red and white polka-dotted bikini that made her look fabulous but was only barely large enough to cover ev
erything.
Hope eyed Sarah’s one-piece enviously, but said nothing. Maybe it was time she got back to being comfortable in her own skin.
The girls settled down with a spread of cheeses, meats, and wine. It took no time at all before they were all laughing like the best of friends.
“No wine, Sarah?” Amber asked. “Something you want to tell us?”
Before she could answer, Robyn chimed in, laughing. “I bet she has a bun in the oven. It’s about time. We were wondering when they’d finally knock you up. They tried hard enough.”
Nikki leaned over, explaining in conspiratorial tones, “We used to catch them everywhere, um, how should I put it? Indisposed…It was like they were trying to christen every square foot of River’s Bend.”
“Oh, girl, they didn’t stop there.” Robyn winked at Sarah, grinning. “I heard they got busy all over Silver Spring, too.”
Sarah didn’t look embarrassed at all. In fact, she broke into a wide grin. “Come to think of it, there are a few places we missed… I should go get Jackson and Wes.”
“Oh, hell no. No you don’t. No men, remember? You mated girls drive me crazy. Give us a little attention, okay?”
“I guess I can wait.” Sarah smiled, sheepish. “At least a little while.”
Mikayla looked wistful. “I want a love like that. I want a man who can’t get enough of me. And damn, if I could have two? What I wouldn’t give…”
Hope found herself thinking about Adam and Levi. She was lucky to have such sexy, caring men interested in her. Why couldn’t she just relax and accept it? It was the whole “fated” thing that got in the way. That, and the fact that they were shifters.
Robyn turned her gaze on Hope. “So, Hope, what’s your story? I’ve noticed how hard you grind your teeth when anyone calls you Adam’s and Luke’s mate.”
Ordinarily, she would be reluctant to discuss something so personal with women she’d just met, but for some reason, she already felt comfortable with them. “It’s just that I’m not their mate. They’re great guys, amazing really, but I can’t just give up everything I have at home and become anyone’s mate.”
Claiming Hope [Wolves of River's Bend 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13