by Vivian Wood
“Fine,” he said, his expression smoothing out. “We’ve got sandwiches and beer ready outside when you’re ready. Chase says you’d better not be a chicken and show up without your bathing suit.”
Brooke didn’t have a chance to say more. Pax was gone in an instant, moving faster than a guy his size should be able to.
“Did I hear sandwiches and beer?” Penny asked.
Brooke turned, blinking. She’d completely forgotten that Harlan and Penny were even in the room.
“Uh, yeah. I guess we’re getting in the hot tub,” Brooke said.
“Sweet!” Penny cheered. “I have a new bikini.”
The last part was clearly aimed at Harlan, who made a low sound in his throat.
“Let’s get you changed,” Harlan said, picking Penny up and throwing her over his shoulder.
Brooke had to laugh when he carried Penny out of the building, slapping her on the ass as he went. Her laugh turned to a sigh, but she refused to throw herself a pity party.
So her man didn’t look at her like that. So he didn’t joke with her, or make her laugh. So what? He had other qualities. He was respectable. He was stable.
Brooke went through the whole list of Travis’s good traits as she headed back to Chase’s cabin. She put on her cute 50’s pinup-style two piece suit, wishing she had a mirror to check out the red and ivory polka dot getup on her figure. Still, she’d received a lot of compliments on the halter top and high waisted boy short outfit, so she wrapped herself in an oversized towel, slid on her shoes, and trekked out to meet the others.
The hot tub cabana was a late addition to Winter Pass, something Brooke’s mother had requested. The tub was built into a huge cedar platform, built to accommodate ten guests in the water. The cabana had plenty of seating, a full outdoor grill, and even a wet bar. It was a beautiful addition to the lodge, and Brooke was glad to see it getting some use, but looking at the lavish cabana made her cringe a little inside.
How much had this addition cost?
Pushing the thought out of her mind, Brooke climbed the steps to find Chase, Penny, and Harlan getting a head start on the promised relaxation.
Chase was mastering the grill station, it looked like. Penny and Harlan were already in the hot tub. From Penny’s blush and occasional giggles, Brooke felt safe assuming that Harlan was groping her under the water. Brooke couldn’t blame the other woman for her elation; Harlan with his shirt off was a masterpiece.
“Beer? I got you the fancy stuff you like,” Chase said, turning from the grill to engage Brooke.
“Sounds awesome,” Brooke said, grabbing one from the cooler.
“You definitely need to get in the hot tub and relax,” her brother said. “You’ve been walking around looking like you swallowed something bitter since you got here.”
“That is not true!” Brooke protested, popping the cap off her bottle of beer.
“Is too,” Chase shot back.
“Is not! What are we, five?” Brooke said with an exasperated laugh.
“Get in the hot tub,” Chase ordered.
“Make me,” Brooke said.
“Can’t leave the grill unattended,” Chase sighed. “I delegate it to Pax.”
Brooke saw Pax stroll up as Chase spoke. He was bare to the waist, wearing nothing but a pair of dark swim trunks. Brooke felt her tongue dart out across her lips as she took in Paxton’s incredible chest. Those abs, the thick vee of muscle that bracketed his hips…
The man was so hot, it was unfair.
“Delegate what?” Pax asked casually, grabbing his own beer from the cooler.
“To throw Brooke in the hot tub. Don’t open that beer until you get her uptight ass in the hot tub,” Chase ordered.
A devilish smile lit Pax’s lips, his dimples flashing.
“No problem,” he said.
“Guys, no.” Brooke held up her hands and started backing away.
In a flash, Pax set down his beer and pounced on Brooke, scooping her up like a helpless child. Before she knew what was happening, Pax’s hands were closing around her waist, and then she and her beer were settling into the hot tub.
“Uh…” slipped from her mouth as Pax climbed in beside her, planting himself right next to her. She turned to Chase for support, but her brother merely looked amused. Damn. They were clearly conspiring against her, in a fucked up way.
“Beer?” Pax asked Chase, who handed Pax’s beer over.
“This is ridiculous,” Brooke muttered, raising her beer so that the bottle’s bottom wasn’t in the hot water.
When Pax’s arm slid around her waist, his arm resting casually on her hip, she shivered and went hot all over, and it wasn’t just the steaming water.
“Relax,” Pax urged her, his voice turning teasing. “Nothing’s happening. It’s not like we’re unchaperoned or anything. You really do have a stick up your ass these days, don’t you?”
“You try planning a wedding! The lady making our cake quit over creative differences. My mother in law hates the dress and veil I chose. Our caterer lost their liquor license… and now I’ve been forced to change venues!” Brooke declared, her jaw tensing.
“Okay, okay,” Pax waved her down, sipping his beer. “Maybe we can just talk about… something else. Anything else.”
He shifted, seeming a little uncomfortable. Brooke felt a pang of guilt, rubbing her wedding in his face. After all, she’d dumped him horribly and cut him out of her life without any real explanation. She was just lucky that Pax was still willing to speak to her, much less be nice about it.
If he had any idea why she’d actually left… Brooke had the idea that he’d be much more aggressive about the talk he said they needed to have. Probably about touching her, too…
“Where’d you go?” Pax asked, a smile curling his lips. “You look a little flushed.”
“It’s the hot water,” Brooke said, rolling her eyes. Still, she shared his smile. “You’re just cocky. You think everything’s about you. Always have.”
Brooke didn’t miss the way Pax bit his lower lip for the briefest second when she said cocky. She’d sort of assumed that Pax was just goading her, showing her what she was missing by marrying Travis, but now…
Was Pax still as interested in her as she was in him?
Not that it mattered.
Down, girl.
Brooke nibbled her lower lip and stared down at her left hand, under the shifting hot tub water. Hand perched on her knee, she could see the sparkling engagement ring glinting on her finger.
Yeah. You need to behave. You just have… jitters, or whatever.
Brooke took a deep breath and forced herself to act normal. Penny and Harlan perked up and joined the conversation, and Brooke was able to focus on that for a bit. Every time she attempted to truly relax, though, Pax’s fingers would brush her hip or her ribs, making her breath catch in her chest.
It didn’t help that Travis hadn’t touched her in months. Not since the engagement, really, and even that night she’d felt more that he’d been doing it out of a sense of duty.
That just made it all the harder when Pax winked at her or wiped a water droplet from her shoulder, flirting in a way that screamed this could be your life. The party progressed, the hot tub and beer combination getting everyone tipsy pretty quickly.
And Pax was there, all that hard, warm muscle only inches from Brooke’s fingertips, tempting her with his sexy body and gorgeous grin…
Before she knew it, Brooke’s head was resting on Paxton’s shoulder, her thoughts drifting dreamily as she considered just how good it would feel to tell him everything. All about her parents’ mistakes, about the Marchands and what amounted to a blackmail-driven shotgun wedding, about how much she wanted to leave it all behind and just curl up in Pax’s arms, let him take care of her…
“BROOKE! What in the FUCK!”
Brooke shot up in the water, twisting around. Travis was barreling toward her, his face contorted with rage.
“Travis!�
�� she squeaked.
“Get out of there,” Travis snarled.
Brooke grabbed the side of the hot tub and pushed herself up on shaky legs. Pax rose beside her, all humor gone from his face.
“Stay back,” Pax warned Travis quietly. Pax’s arm came out to block Brooke from moving forward.
Somehow that small gesture on Pax’s part seemed to be the straw that broke Travis’s back. He launched himself at Brooke with a throaty growl, his eyes flashing like green fire. Something clicked in Brooke’s brain, something about Travis and Pax’s and Chase’s green eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.
Travis came at her hard, his expression deadly. His hand raised, Brooke ducked, and then everything went sideways.
Chapter Five
Pax’s wolf rose and ripped its way out of him, desperate for a taste his enemy’s blood. No one raised a hand to Brooke. No one. Pax and his wolf could agree on that much, at least. Still, the wolf took the reins and Pax let it, unleashing his beast.
Just as Travis was doing. The other man shifted into a small, sleek mountain lion as Pax hit the ground on all fours, shaking out his long black fur. He heard Brooke’s scream and saw her draw back, seeing refuge with Chase. Her brother pushed Brooke behind him and faced off against Travis. Harlan was doing the same thing with Penny, his face set in a grim line.
That expression on Harlan’s face did not bode well for Travis Marchand.
“You’re an idiot if you think you can take all three of us,” Chase boomed.
Pax sucked in a breath and gave a deep growl, letting Travis know he agreed with Chase. The wildcat eyed them all speculatively, then made the wise choice. Backing up a few steps, he crouched and shifted back to his human form.
When Travis was totally human again, Pax followed, forcing his wolf down. Knowing he’d already probably terrified Brooke, possibly driving yet another wedge between them. Not that he’d had much of a choice. She’d been under threat, and his wolf regarded her as his true mate.
At the moment, though, Brooke only had eyes for Travis. Her expression was halfway between incredulous and furious, and Pax almost pitied her lying sack of shit of a fiance for a moment. Almost. Sure, this wasn’t how Pax wanted Brooke to find out that he was a wolf, but at least he hadn’t been lying to her about it for over six years.
Pax rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and shifted his stance, discomfited to find that seeing Brooke angry apparently turned him on a little more than it should. Her chest rose and fell as she sucked in big breaths, trying to keep herself calm, and Pax watched her every move.
“Brooke…” Travis said, raising his hands in an attempt to forestall her obvious rage.
“You’re a… a…” Brooke sputtered, unable to get the word out. Hands at her sides, her fists clenched and unclenched over and over. Her eyes flashed and her cheeks were dark with excitement.
“Werewolf!” Penny said, peeking around Harlan’s shoulder. When Brooke shot Penny a savage glare, the other redhead ducked back behind her mate. Wise choice.
“Werecat, actually. I was going to tell you, Brooke,” Travis said, his color rising as he glanced around at the wolves. “Let’s go somewhere more private and talk—”
“No,” Brooke hissed. “No more talking. You’ve ignored me and manipulated me and lied to me for the last time, Travis.”
She started working her engagement off her finger, her expression determined.
“Brooke, don’t do that. You’re just upset,” Travis said. He took a step toward her, only to have three big wolves growl at him until he retreated again. Brooke was unfazed, holding the ring up for everyone to see.
“Your mother had to blackmail me to get this on my finger. This is the last straw.”
She threw the ring at Travis, who caught it, looking confused and angry.
“What do you mean, blackmail?” he asked.
“If you don’t already know, I think you and your mother have a lot to talk about. Go ahead, call her. Let her tell everyone all my family’s dirty laundry,” Brooke spat.
“You’re making a mistake. You’re confused, Brooke.” Travis was steady now, his face a tightly controlled mask.
“No. This whole relationship has been a mistake. I’m remedying that right this second. Now get the hell off my parents’ land, Travis Marchand, and don’t you come back!”
Brooke pointed toward the front drive, and Travis flushed again.
“You’re going to regret this, bitch. You were never good enough for me anyway,” he said, backing away. “No one says no to me, Brooke.”
With that, Travis turned and trotted off toward his car. Harland and Penny followed the guy, all three of them disappearing from sight.
“Brooke—” Pax reached out to touch her arm, thinking to comfort her.
“Don’t touch me!” Brooke snapped, glaring at Pax, then at Chase. “You two are almost as bad as Travis. Such liars!”
“Wait—” Chase said, reaching out to grab her, but Brooke avoided him and stormed toward the main house.
“Shit,” Pax said.
“Yeah,” Chase agreed, shaking his head. “This isn’t good. At least she can’t go anywhere. I have her car keys.”
“How long do you think she’s going to be mad at us?” Pax asked, staring up at the main house.
Chase was quiet for a beat.
“It’s not like we chose this, Pax. This happened to us. What were we supposed to do, drag her out here and ask her to be one of us? Sprout hair, howl at the moon, never get close to a human again?”
Pax blew out a breath. He couldn’t disagree, of course. Chase had laid the truth bare.
“She never stays mad long, man,” Chase said, clapping Pax on the shoulder. “Give her a little time, then go talk to her.”
“Me?” Pax asked, surprised. “She’s your sister.”
“And she’s your mate,” Chase said, raising a brow. “What, you thought I didn’t know? Please. Have you even looked at another chick since she dumped you?”
“No comment,” Pax said, crossing his arms.
“That’s what I thought. Once she calms down, find out what she was yelling about. Something about family secrets, which makes zero sense.”
After a moment, Pax nodded. Chase gave his shoulder one final pat, then took off toward his cabin, leaving Pax to mull over all that had happened.
“Are you seriously doing the crossword right now?”
Paxton looked up from the paper in his lap, using his foot to sway his rocking chair. Brooke walked up to the front porch of his cabin, eyeing him with a little more caution that he liked. Still, she was here… that had to be a good sign.
“Yeah. Habit I picked up overseas,” Pax said, setting the paper aside and casting a glance over her curvy figure. “Wasn’t expecting you to come to me, to be honest. I thought I’d have to come roust you after a couple days of moping.”
“Nope,” Brooke said, sitting on a wooden stool beside Pax’s rocking chair. “Just one day of moping.”
“Very mature of you,” Pax said, watching her closely.
“Yeah, well. We’ve both changed a lot in the last six years, I bet.” Brooke twined her hands in her lap, glancing away into the woods.
“I guess you have to make mistakes and then learn from your experiences. That’s part of growing up,” Pax said, curious where Brooke was going with this.
“Yeah,” she said, shoulders slumping. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but she remained silent. Maybe she felt like Pax did, that she didn’t know where to start. Their history was long and tangled, a thick layer of dust covering the half-healed scars she’d left behind.
If Pax was ever going to understand, he’d have to help her find a way to start talking. What better way than to start at the beginning of the end?
“That day you Skyped me when I was overseas,” Pax said gently. “When you apologized, and then you were just… gone.”
Brooke glanced at him, tears already forming in her eyes.
&
nbsp; “That was one of the worst days of my life,” she said, shaking her head.
“I don’t understand what happened,” Pax said. “I visited you, things were great… then a couple months later, you were getting engaged to someone else. It just…”
He couldn’t quite finish the thought aloud.
“I know. There was a lot happening here that you didn’t know about,” Brooke said. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she brushed it away with a fingertip. “On top of all that, I knew you thought I betrayed you. That was devastating.”
“I guess you can understand why I didn’t rush to tell you about being turned into a werewolf,” Pax said.
“Of course I can. I hate that you guys feel like you can’t trust me, but maybe…” Brooke stopped, sucked in a big breath, then blurted out, “My parents did some really bad stuff. I didn’t know about it at the time, didn’t wonder where the money was coming from…”
“Whoa, whoa,” Pax said. “Slow down. What money?”
Brooke gave a humorless chuckle.
“There’s a lot of money. Like millions and millions, all in offshore accounts. Winter Pass is basically the only thing they ever acquired legally. My dad got into some real estate dealings with shady people, and I guess my mom condoned it… It paid for all their vacations and flashy cars and stuff. I was just a teenager when it started, and Chase was already in the military. The real estate group, they did a lot of bad things. Like foreclosed homes, took advantage of people who desperately needed loans… I guess the term is predatory lending.”
Pax didn’t know how to respond. He’d met Brooke and Chase’s parents a couple of times. They were your typical multimillionaire jet setting couple, well dressed and smiling, but they were nice. You’d never look at them and suspect that they’d do anything like what Brooke was accusing them of.
“Brooke, are you sure? How did you even find this out?”
“Lynne,” Brooke sighed. “Travis had been sniffing around, asking me out on dates. I guess he told Lynne that I turned him down, and she decided to dig up some dirt on me, prove that I wasn’t as great as Travis thought. Unfortunately, she dug up a lot more than she expected. Then she had leverage over me.”