by Jane Jamison
She was almost over the edge when she felt Dugan’s cock slide into her asshole. For a moment, she was sure they’d tear her apart, but soon enough, the friction turned from one of pain to a sizzling delight.
Drake grabbed her hair and jerked her hair back. “I’ll let them have you first, but then it’s just you and me. When that happens, be ready.”
She couldn’t respond, couldn’t even nod. Instead, she could only whimper her acquiescence. She gave herself to them, all three of them, and felt more alive than ever before. Harrin and Dugan took her, but she was really the one who did the taking.
With each thrust, with each slam of penetration, she took back all that Robert had taken from her. No longer would she be afraid to give herself to a man. No longer would she be resentful and filled with anger at her past. Robert and all that he’d done to her, all that she’d had to endure since he’d betrayed her, were gone, shoved away by the passionate lovemaking of her men.
With the Hardwick men taking her, she gained true freedom.
The climax built inside her, quivering at first, then quickening, growing powerful. She cried out, a scream of passion, as the climax erupted inside her. Her juices flowed over Harrin’s cock. She felt Dugan’s cock slip and slide into her hole.
Harrin growled out as his hot seed flooded into her. He supported her weight, his body shaking under the onslaught of his climax.
Dugan pulled out of her, then dropped to his knees as he let his cum fly free. Her sundress fell back over her buttocks as he leaned against her and groaned out the last bit.
She smiled at Drake even as her body and his brothers’ shuddered through their orgasms. His eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed as he understood her message. She’d silently challenged him to give her another orgasm.
Harrin lowered her as he slid his body down the bars, then rolled away from her. Just as her feet were about to touch the floor, Drake wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her up then turned her around, twisting the chain between each handcuff, and crossing her arms above her head. The cold of the steel chilled her spine.
“Don’t ever challenge an alpha again. Not unless you’re ready to lose the battle.”
Alpha? As in an alpha male?
She stared into the flashing bits of amber in his dark eyes. The intensity stunned her, frightening her a little. Had she gone too far? She cried out as he slammed his cock deep inside her pussy.
* * * *
Drake couldn’t have waited a moment longer if his life had depended on it. As it was, he prayed he could rise to the challenge and not shoot his wad too soon. He was an alpha and she was their mate. It was as simple as that, and as complex, too.
He gripped her hips, the material of her sundress flowing between them, covering up what he would’ve liked to have seen, but he wouldn’t take his eyes off her face.
She was challenging him.
Mates didn’t challenge their wolves. Not unless they were strong enough to back it up. If asked before they’d taken her to the cell, he would’ve said she wasn’t that strong. Suddenly, something had changed. Without biting her, she’d transformed. She’d gone from a mere human female to one of the pack.
Once we claim her, she’ll be even stronger. She’ll be a real female alpha.
He slammed into her, driving his shaft as far as he could. The feeling of having her sheath wrapped around his cock was beyond heaven. He was ecstatic, pleased she was so tight, so fresh. It was hell, too, as he had to struggle to keep from letting go too soon.
He bent over her and caught the top of her dress with his teeth. His wolf howled for him to tear it away, to render her completely naked, but the man wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t embarrass his mate by leaving her with nothing to wear when she left.
His pleasure at seeing her full breasts jiggle, her brown nipples hard and firm, only lasted a moment before his brothers each took a breast. His growl rumbled upward from deep in his chest and flowed over teeth aching to change.
With her arms behind her head, she had no way to hold onto him except for her legs, but he could sense her growing tired. Harrin and Dugan fondled her tits, their glittering gazes locked on her. Amber lightened their eyes.
If he didn’t give in and come soon, he was afraid they might shift. Not all the way, but enough to bury their fangs into her soft flesh to claim her and change her.
We should’ve told her what we are first.
If they had, they could bury their fangs in her and make her theirs.
She’s already ours.
His wolf disagreed, but he was still in charge.
Plunging hard into her one last time, he finally gave in. His orgasm struck him hard, barreling through him like an uncontrolled locomotive on a dead-end track. Unable to keep it in check any longer, he laid back his head and howled.
Restraining his wolf was hard as hell during a climax, but he managed to do it. His body trembled as much from his release as from the effort to stay in his human form.
“Drake.”
Her whisper brought his gaze to hers. The pain was evident in her eyes and he gently turned her around and eased her to the floor. Dugan undid the cuffs and then pulled her against him. She leaned on Harrin as he helped her over to the twin cot against the wall.
“I’m sorry if we were too rough.” Drake sat beside her, taking her arm and studying her wrist. A red mark cut across the blue vein, but hadn’t broken her skin. He slicked his tongue along her marred skin and felt her tremble.
“It’s okay.”
He’d do anything to stare into her eyes for the rest of his life. “You’re hurt.”
“He’s right,” added Harrin. “We should’ve been more careful.”
She took Harrin’s hand as she slid her palm into Drake’s. “I don’t want you to worry about hurting me. If I’d wanted to stop, I would’ve said so.”
Drake leaned closer and dragged in a whiff of her fragrance. She didn’t wear perfume. Hers was a natural, clean scent. “You’re the one we’ve waited for. You’re the one we want by our side.”
“As an equal?”
He couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or not. As the mate of a primary alpha, she’d rule over the other females in the pack, but she’d never be his equal. He glanced at his brothers. They had to tell her, but was it the right time?
Raven pulled her dress into place and smoothed it out. “I need to get back to the store. Babs is probably thinking I’ve run off.”
He couldn’t let her go, not without telling her what they should have told her before having sex, but there was no time. He stood, taking her along with him. As her breasts pressed against his chest, his heart swelled underneath.
This is our mate.
His inner wolf howled its joy even as the man he was celebrated finding her. Nothing would make him any happier than he was at that moment. Leaving her, even for only a short time, physically hurt. “Have dinner with us.”
“No.”
He jerked backward. “No?”
“No.” Her eyes sparkled. “Have dinner with me.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?” Dugan skimmed his hand over her hair.
“Sounds like the same thing to me.” Harrin stood apart from them, but his attention was focused dead-center on her. His expression left nothing to question. He was as much in love with her as Drake was.
“I meant, come to my house for dinner.”
“When?”
“How about tomorrow night?”
Drake didn’t try to hide his disappointment. “Not tonight?”
“I can’t. I promised Babs I’d help her with the books.”
“Bullshit. Tell Babs to hire an accountant.”
She got on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on the end of his nose. “Tomorrow. Seven.”
He tried to hang on to her as she pushed away and could have kept her there, but he knew when to not push. “Fine. Seven.”
* * * *
Fucking bitch.
Robert p
ushed away from the jail house window that faced the alley. What the hell did Raven think she was doing, hooking up with the sheriff and his brothers? Although he’d had to lay low, staying out of town and camping in the woods, he’d still managed to sneak into town one night and glean information about the Hardwicks. He was sure it was solid information, even if it had come from an old man he’d plied with liquor at the local watering hole.
Seems like Raven is into banging more than one man at a time.
Hell, if he’d known she was into ménages, he would’ve been all for a three-way back when they were together. Not with other men—the thought alone made him gag—but with another woman. He’d have loved it.
He’d waited for an hour outside the store where she worked, wanting to catch her alone. This time he wouldn’t let her call the shots. This time, he’d planned on hauling her sweet ass out of town and doing whatever the hell he wanted with her. To her. But then those assholes had shown up and fucked up his plan.
Listening to them get it on hadn’t been half bad. Peeking over the edge of the windowsill, he’d gotten an eyeful. He’d seen enough that he’d had to take measures into his own hand and jerked off right there in the middle of the shithole of a hillbilly town. Still, a man had to do what a man had to do.
He’d been surprised, however, when the oldest brother had fucked her and then held his head back and howled. Like a damn dog, no less. What kind of freaks was she mixed up with?
No matter. He’d set her straight once he got her alone with no gun in her hand and no one around to save her pretty ass.
The sounds he heard after they’d finished fucking turned his stomach, too. From the way those three guys were talking, they’d fallen head-over-heels for her seductive ways. She was clever, but not clever enough. She’d never put one over on him. He was her ruler, her master, and she’d learn quickly enough how to please him. He chuckled, then glanced toward the street to make sure no one could see him skulking behind the Dumpster.
No matter. She’d pay for her being a slut to those three guys. He’d take her back and make her his again, but she’d have to learn her lesson first. If he had to get rid of the Hardwick men to make that happen, then he’d do it.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d killed.
He chuckled again, then eased away from the wall. Peeking around the Dumpster, he hurried toward the back of the buildings.
Chapter Eight
Today was finally the day when they would tell Raven what they were. Her dinner invitation had been for the day before, but Babs’s accounting books had turned out to be a mess. Instead of taking one day, it had taken the women two nights to finish sorting them out. At last, however, the time had come.
Harrin leaned against the kitchen counter and took another sip of his steaming coffee. “We have to be prepared for how she might take the news.”
Dugan was on his second plate filled with bacon, scrambled eggs, and a pile of toast. Like most werewolves, he had an enormous appetite and loved having breakfast for dinner. Harrin didn’t ask his brother why he was eating before going to Raven’s for dinner. He knew Dugan would gladly eat again.
Dugan paused, holding a piece of bacon in mid-air. “You’re thinking she might take off once she knows what we are, aren’t you?”
Drake balanced on the back legs of his chair, a coffee cup resting against his chest as he stared into space. He jerked out of his trance with Dugan’s question.
“It’s happened before. Humans are unpredictable. Some of them freak out and run off, leaving their mates behind for good, while others take it in stride. I think it’s all those romance movies and books about women falling in love with werewolves that have made it easier for them to accept what we are. Kind of like life imitating art.”
“Could be.” Harrin took another sip. “Still, we have to be ready. If she bolts, we can’t let her get far. She could be so frightened that she doesn’t pay any attention and hurts herself. For sure, we can’t let her get behind the wheel before she calms down.”
“Maybe we’re making a bigger deal out of this than we should.” Dugan crammed two pieces of bacon into his mouth and swallowed them whole. “Maybe she’ll get off on the idea. She could end up loving what we are.”
“Let’s hope so.” Although most humans had to have time to get used to the idea, the majority of them soon learned to love the fact that their mates were werewolves. Most of them even wanted to be bitten and transformed into werewolves, too. If they were lucky, Raven would be one of those.
“I wish we’d acted sooner.” Drake nabbed a piece of bacon from Dugan’s plate, earning him a growl. “We knew she was the one for us almost from the first moment we met her.”
“We still needed time to see who she was.”
Harrin didn’t believe in love at first sight. It wasn’t as though werewolves could sniff a woman and simply know she’d make a great mate. The human part of them had to get to know her first. Although their animal instincts could them whether a woman was sexually compatible or not, as men, they wanted to connect with her on a personal and emotional level. Still, getting together went faster than most human-to-human matings did because of their inner beasts’ ability to sense a good mate. Falling in love might take humans months or years, but with werewolves, things moved much faster.
“I don’t know about you two, but I knew the first second I met her. I could tell she has a big heart and a good soul.”
Drake chuckled. “Oh, sure, and her bangin’ looks didn’t have a thing to do with you knowing she was the one.”
“Well, sure. Hell, even knowing about her past now doesn’t change anything. She’s the same person she was before we found out about her past.”
“I’d sure like to get my fangs into that asshole that set her up. He ruined her life.” Drake set his coffee cup down with a little too much force, sloshing the contents over the edges.
“Not me. Hell, we should thank the man.”
Dugan and Drake gaped at him as he’d expected they would.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” asked Dugan.
“Think of it this way. If he hadn’t screwed her over, if she hadn’t gone through everything she did, she never would’ve ended up in Fate. We never would’ve met her.”
They let his idea sink in. Not that he’d ever thank Robert. He’d treated Raven like shit and, if he ever got the chance, Harrin would “thank” the man with a fist to his face and claws raked over his gut.
“He’s still an asshole.”
Harrin lifted his cup in a salute to Drake. “We definitely agree on that.”
“Forget all that shit, I want more of what we got at the jail.” Dugan crammed the last piece of toast into his mouth.
“Then let’s get going. She’s expecting us at seven and I don’t want to be late.” Harrin set down his cup and snatched up the keys to his truck. “Get a load off, men. I’ll drive.”
“Just don’t drive like some old lady. Put the foot to the metal, brother.” Dugan shoved his chair back and threw his body in front of Harrin’s, then darted toward the door.
Sometimes Harrin thought his younger brother had more pup in him than man. Still, he had faith that Dugan would one day make a fine alpha. All he needed was the desire to be one.
Drake’s chair landed with a thud on the hardwood floor as he got to his feet. “Let’s roll.”
Dugan went out of sight as he rounded the corner and bounded into the hallway leading to the back door. Then, suddenly, he let out a growl. A hard thump came next.
Harrin glanced at Drake and saw his own surprise reflected in his brother’s face. “What the hell was that?”
“Nothing good.”
Drake took off running, leaving Harrin to bring up the rear.
* * * *
Raven glanced out the front window for what must’ve been the hundredth time. Were Drake, Harrin, and Dugan really her men? Or were they playing a game with her? She knew what she felt was real, but when she wasn’t with the
m, the doubts came rushing back.
They’d said they cared for her. Although they hadn’t said the word love, it was enough. For now. The real problem was that she sensed that they were holding back on her. It was only her woman’s intuition, but she’d learned long ago, after suffering Robert’s betrayal, to trust her gut.
At least now they knew about her past. She no longer had to live in fear of them finding out. All that was left was to tell her friends and Babs. Trusting her friends and her boss to understand was easier now that she had the men to lean on.
Had she told them she loved them yet? Their time in the jail cell was a blur of emotions and physical sensations. If she hadn’t actually said the words, surely she’d shown them. Either way, she was eager to tell them tonight.
She glanced at the clock on the wall.
Seven-fifteen.
She’d tell them, all right, if they ever showed up.
They’re only fifteen minutes late. Maybe Drake got hung up with sheriff’s business and his brothers are helping him.
Still, why hadn’t they called?
They were great guys. Not only were they sexy as hell, they were honest and good. Their reputations said that they could be trusted. Not only were they stand-up kind of guys, they were generous and caring, donating time and energy to helping everyone in town.
She checked the roast in the big pot on top of the stove. Cooking wasn’t her thing, but she cooked a decent pot roast. Lifting the lid, she stirred the carrots, potatoes, onion, and meat around, then took a big sniff. So far, it smelled like perfection. As long as the men liked meat—didn’t most men?—her dinner would be a success.
She didn’t want to, but couldn’t resist glancing at the clock again.
Damn it. Seven-thirty.
Being a little late was one thing, but thirty minutes? Where the hell were they?
She checked out the window again. They knew where she lived, so that wasn’t the problem. Her hand fell on her cell phone resting on top of the nearby table and saw that she hadn’t received any calls.