by Julia Talbot
Grumbling low in his throat, Lee nodded. “Well, you tell me if anyone else bothers either of you. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
That had her bristling a little. “I’m perfectly capable…”
“So is Dan. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m your mate, and therefore bound to protect both of you.” Lee got in her face, teeth bared a little. “Got it?”
A super-tense moment passed while she and Lee stared one another down, but it was broken by Danny batting his eyelashes and cooing, “That is so hot, big boy.”
They all cracked up, and Lee ate his ice cream, which Heather loved to watch. Danny was almost catlike sometimes, so clean and careful. Lee? He was a big, slobbery wolf who ate like it was his last meal every time. She loved to watch, and she loved to watch Danny watch, wide-eyed, his cheeks hot. Sensory overload was Lee’s specialty.
Once the ice cream was gone, Heather swept all of the leavings into a bag and tied a knot in the handles before going to push Danny down and straddle his hips. “Now we can get all busy, huh?”
Danny laughed, his hands coming to rest on her ass. He looked so relaxed, so happy. It was a great look. “We can, but I think you have the positions wrong.”
“I do?” Huh. What could be wrong with -- “Oof.”
Moving fast, Danny rolled her onto her back, pulling her legs up and out so she was spread open. Then he knelt between her legs and offered Lee his ass. That worked. That worked really well.
Danny started to bend to kiss her, but Lee barked out, “Stop.” They both froze, Heather staring up at Lee, Danny craning to look over his shoulder. “Clothes off first,” Lee demanded. “That way we don’t have to stop later.”
“Oh, good idea.” Danny stripped like his clothes were on fire, then went to work on Heather’s jeans while she wiggled out of her shirt and bra.
Both of the boys paused to stare at her tits, which made Heather giggle and shake them a little so they bounced. They were such guys. She reached up, lifting them and squeezing them together, and Danny and Lee both moaned. “You’re the only one with clothes on, Lee.”
Lee shook himself before his starched shirt, Wranglers and boots went flying in all directions. Obviously, Danny took that as a sign, and bent to lick at her nipples, first one, then the other. Lee muscled up behind Danny; she felt his heat on her bent legs, spreading her even more. Danny moaned, his head lifting so he could stare into her eyes. Oh, yeah. Look at that. “You like that, don’t you, Danny? Like it when Lee rubs his cock right there, right up against your ass.”
“God, you have a filthy mouth. I love it.” Danny kissed her belly, his lips hot and wet, before moving down toward the vee of her spread legs. “And yeah, I love Lee’s cock too.”
“Good.” Lee grunted. “Did you happen to get lube at the store?”
“Nope. We forgot the condoms as well.” Heather tried to act repentant, but that just meant Danny would get fucked and Lee would have to use his mouth to get Danny ready. Oh, the horror.
Chuckling, the sound rough as a cob, Lee disappeared behind Danny, and soon enough, hard moans were echoing against her thighs as Lee licked Danny’s ass.
Heather wiggled, reminding Danny that she was open and ready, and that she needed him damned bad. That hot mouth found her clit, Danny taking the hint and getting down to work. Her hips started to rise and fall, her belly drawing in with pleasure. Heather heard Lee rumbling, growling, and the wet sounds of mouths on skin. Danny was crying out against her every few seconds, Lee working him over hard and good.
Three fingers slid inside her cunt, Danny giving her no warning at all, and Heather howled, her fingers scrabbling at the earth on either side of her, searching for something solid. It got better when Lee rose up behind Danny, his big hands on Danny’s lean hips as that heavy cock pushed into Danny’s ass. That gave her something to focus on, something to watch.
Pleasure crashed over her in waves, her nipples so hard that she just had to pinch them, trying to get a little relief. Her clit throbbed under Danny’s tongue, and her wet pussy clamped down around his fingers.
They rocked together, Lee’s strong thrusts pushing Danny against her cunt, that long tongue working her until she thought she’d go crazy. She thrashed a little, trying to get more, to get closer to both of them. Danny gave her what she wanted, his fingers thrusting in and out, his breath hot on her when she grunted.
“Oh, fuck.” The desperation in Lee’s voice told her he was roaring toward the finish line, and Danny shook with Lee’s thrusts, every one making that lean body shudder. The vibrations added just the extra touch Heather needed, and she cried out, ripples of pleasure pushing out from her cunt and up her spine, her orgasm finally going off like fireworks in her brain.
“Christ.” Danny lifted his head to look at her, and his eyes went wide and cloudy, his ass pushing back so hard his back arched in an impossible bow. His come fell on her leg, his shout ringing out through the trees.
Finally, Lee grunted, slamming into Danny so hard that all three of them slid across the ground before collapsing together in a tangle of arms and legs.
“I needed that.” Heather stroked Danny’s thick hair; his head had landed on her upper belly, just below her breasts.
“Looks like.” Lee growled a bit. “I’ll talk to Denise.”
“No, you won’t,” she snapped. “This is a girl thing. You leave it alone.”
“Baby…”
“No.”
“Give up.” His voice muffled by her skin, Danny chuckled. “She’s got it set in her mind. You can’t win.”
“You’re no help,” Lee grumbled, pinching Danny’s hip. “But if something else happens, you have to tell me. Deal?”
“Deal.” That worked for her. It satisfied Lee’s big, alpha need to protect them, but let her make her own way. That was really all a girl could ask.
Chapter Three
Rage filled him, and it was almost too much to wait for the roommate to leave. Almost. Once the skinny geek was gone, though, Danny’s room was fair game.
He tore it up with all of the violence he wanted to spend against Heather and Lee and especially the little outsider. He wanted to hurt them all. The full moon was still too damned far away, and he had to let a little of his rage out or he would explode.
Books, bed, clothes; he shredded it all. They would learn. Oh they would learn, damn them. All of them. He would make sure of it.
* * *
“Hey, Simon, guess what I did instead of going to the ice cream social…” Danny trailed off when he opened the door to his dorm room, the smell of piss and male anger strong enough that it hit him long before he saw the mess.
“Oh, God. Simon? Simon!”
There was no answer, but Danny scrambled through the piles of torn clothing and shredded mattresses to check anyway. No bodies in the closets. Thank God. Popping his cell phone open, Danny stared at his room, which was just trashed. He dialed Simon, hoping to hell that his roomie was okay.
“Hello?”
“Simon? Hey, man, are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah. I mean, I’m at the cafeteria, so death might be imminent, but I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. Did you happen to do some redecorating before you left?”
“No? What’s the matter, man? You sound all tinny.”
“Our room has been tossed.” He’d seen this a thousand times on the news in the city, but he certainly never expected to see it at Mystic U.
“Okay, say that again?”
“Our room. It’s been tossed. Your laptop is missing.”
“I have it with me. Shit, man. I’ll be there in five. Call campus security.”
“Good idea.” It wasn’t security he called when he hung up with Simon. It was Lee. “Lee?”
“Hey, baby! Change your mind about coming to the house?”
Danny laughed, the sound edged with hysteria. “Looks like I might have to. Someone trashed my room. Simon is okay.”
“Trashed your room?”
/>
“Yeah. And pissed all over it too.”
“Fuck! Get out of there and go somewhere public. I’ll meet you at that little courtyard next to your dorm. Now!”
“He’s not here anymore, babe. I have to wait for Simon.”
“Goddamn it, you stubborn puppy. Wait for him outside.”
“Don’t you yell at me.” His feet moved though, carrying him out and down the stairs, then out to the courtyard. Shivering, he stood there among all the kids playing Frisbee and studying and looking so normal. “I’m outside.”
“I’m three minutes away. Hang in there, baby.”
“I am.” No, he wasn’t gonna fall apart or anything. It was just freaky, thinking of his riding leathers up there, lying in a puddle of piss.
“Good on you, baby. Running with the wolves has been good for you, huh?”
“Yeah.” Yeah, it had. Lee was right. Six months ago, he would be pitching a royal screaming fit right about now. At this point, he was just working up a healthy dose of pissed off.
“Dan?” Simon came trotting up, his ever-present messenger bag slung low across his body. “You okay, man?”
“I think so. Simon is here, Lee. I’ll see you in a few.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Danny hung up, staring at Simon. “I didn’t call security.”
“Okay.” Simon put a hand on his arm. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I am. I was mainly worried about you.” Once he’d known Simon was okay, it was all about the “whoa, stinky.”
“Well, I’m good. Let me call the cops, huh?” Simon called campus security and was finishing up just about the time Lee showed.
“Hey.” Lee touched his arm before nodding at Simon. “I’m gonna go up and look before security comes. Fewer people to muddy up the smells that way.”
“I’ll come --”
“No, you won’t.” Lee jerked his head at Simon. “You keep Danny down here, okay. He’ll distract me.”
“Got it.” Simon grabbed Danny’s arm, holding him when he would have followed. “Dan, Lee knows everyone. Like literally. If there’s a scent marker, he’ll recognize it.”
“Oh. Okay.” That made as much sense as anything, and was a way better explanation than, “Lee is alpha,” which was how it usually came out in the conversation.
They waited, and it seemed endless. Security showed up and Lee came down before they went up, his lips set in a grim line, a sealed bag in his hand.
Two hours later, Danny and Simon were allowed to go and see if there was anything they could salvage. Heather was there by then, and she took one look, cursed viciously, and took Danny and Simon both by the arm.
“Wal-Mart, boys. Now. Come on. They’ll seal the door until we can get some help with the cleaning.”
That was the best offer he’d had since Heather and Lee had asked him to come home with them earlier. In a way, he wished he had. Then again, that would have left Simon to deal with the mess, and Danny was kind of glad he hadn’t.
An hour later, he had jeans, underwear and shirts to last a few days, and Simon was outfitted, as well.
“You can come back to the house with us, Simon,” Heather said, patting Simon’s arm.
“Nah. I called Kylie. She’ll let me stay over.”
Kylie was Simon’s newest girl and she seemed really nice. Danny had only met her once, being a little busy with his love life to be social at the dorm, but he figured Simon would be safe there.
They took Simon to Kylie’s, checked on Danny’s bike, which was safe, thank God, and then went back to Lee and Heather’s, where Danny collapsed on the couch.
“Okay, so tell me what you took from my place, Lee.”
“Huh? Oh, just a piece of clothing that was… soiled.” Lee grimaced. “I couldn’t identify the scent signature, but I don’t think it’s a college kid. I thought I’d take it to Logan.”
“That’s a good idea.” Heather wasn’t great at the tea and sympathy routine; she was too much action girl for that, but she’d been a trouper all evening.
“Yeah. Thanks for everything, guys. I just… Who would want to do this?”
“I can think of a bunch of folks, offhand.” When he stared, Lee shrugged. “We’re not exactly following the rules. Some people here are pretty old-fashioned.”
“You think this is because of our relationship?” It had never even occurred to him. God. In the city, no one knew anyone’s business. You tried to ignore your neighbors’ sexual gymnastics.
“Well, I can’t think of any other reason. Have you or Simon pissed anyone off?”
“Simon is the least pissy-offy person I know.” Danny chewed his thumbnail. “Shit. I -- God.”
“Well, then, I’ll take the bag to Logan, you stay here with Heather and get calmed down a little.”
“I think it’s a bad idea for any of us to go anywhere alone until after the full moon.” Hugging her arms over her chest, Heather looked back and forth between him and Lee. “Aggressions rise during this time of the month.”
“She has a point.” Not that he was worried about staying at the house with Heather. She was a stud, he’d learned a lot about taking care of himself since last semester, and the house was defensible. No, he was worried about Lee.
“I need to know you two are safe.” Lee frowned, his dark blond brows drawing together.
“Too bad.” Heather’s chin stuck out at a stubborn angle. “We’re going.”
They all had a bit of a stare down, and Lee finally blew out a sharp breath. “Let me call Logan, see if he’s even at a place where we can intrude.”
Lee turned away, pulling out his cell, and Heather came to give Danny a hug. “Are you okay, hon?”
Danny pondered that a moment. “I’m coping. That’s good, right?”
“That is.” Reaching up, she stroked his cheek, her fingers a little rough with calluses like the farm girl she was, but the touch gentle. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, this might not even be about me.” Simon might have pissed off some mage, right?
“Lee told me about your riding leathers. I think this is about us.”
With a sigh, Danny nodded, knowing she was probably right. “So what do we do?”
“Well, this is where we’re lucky, honey. Lee is good at this pack shit, and with the way your room was treated, it has to be a wolf. We leave it up to him and Logan. This is why I keep him around.”
That was a laugh and a half. Danny pulled her close, nose against hers. “Bullshit. You keep him around because you love him.”
She chuckled, rubbing noses with him. “That, too. Don’t worry, Dan. He’ll handle it.”
Danny nodded, hoping she was right. He could live with that.
Chapter Four
Lee wanted to tear something to pieces.
Who was he kidding? He wanted to tear apart whoever had messed up Danny’s stuff. Shit, he could understand why some of the pack might not be pleased with the relationship he, Danny and Heather had created, but it wasn’t the wolf way to sneak around and hide if you had a beef.
Any wolf knew he had to issue a challenge face to face, so this guy was a fucking coward. Bastard.
He stomped the mud and slush off his boots before stepping up onto Logan’s porch. The head wolf lived on the very edge of nowhere, in a great old frame ranch house. It was always welcoming, even if the man himself was not.
Sometimes Logan got a little grumpy. Lee figured he had a right, the way he had to take care of everyone all the damned time. Man had yet to find a mate to work the frustrations out with, too. That had to suck big, hairy donkey balls.
Lee didn’t even have to knock. Logan met him at the door, his nose already working. His forehead wrinkled up. “Smells like… Smells familiar. Come in, man.” They went inside, Logan taking the bag from him. “You want a beer?”
“Hell, yes. I feel bad, leaving Heather and Dan like this, but I need to calm down.”
“Of course you do. They’re yours and someone
threatened them.”
Lee nodded, sighing a little. Logan got it, didn’t think he was overreacting and all. Didn’t ask him if maybe it was about Dan’s roommate.
“I want a piece of him. Who is he?”
Logan opened the bag. “He’s definitely one of ours, but I don’t know which one, not for sure, anyway. There are some older males who only come in once in a blue moon. I know the scent, though.”
“Damn.” That fucking sucked. One of their own fucking pack. Lee had grown up in Wolf Creek. He thought he knew everyone. If he didn’t, his parents did. Jesus.
“Yeah.”
“So, what do we do?”
“Well, you and your pair will have to sit tight. I’ll get a crew together that I trust and start looking for this guy.”
“Not good enough.” That wasn’t gonna work. Lee wanted to hunt this guy himself.
“What?” Logan had these amazing eyes. Light brown, with green flecks. They flashed when Logan growled, moving toward Lee, a hand coming up super-fast to grasp him by the neck.
“Damn it, Logan. These are my mates.”
Logan shook him a little, squeezing until Lee coughed. “You’re pissing people off, Lee. I’m not saying they’re right, I just think you need to step back and think.” Lee tried to speak, but Logan cut him off with another squeeze. “You’re going to go home and protect them while I figure this out.”
He stared into Logan’s eyes, finally sighing and nodding.
Logan let him go, then pulled him close for a bruising hug. “You know you’re special to me, Lee. I will get this guy.”
“I know. I just…”
“You and Heather are really into this Danny, huh?”
“Yeah.” Lee shrugged. “I don’t know why, because he should be just another one of Heather’s one-offs. He’s got something, though.”
“You mean he likes to fuck.”
“That, too.” Chuckling, he clapped Logan on the back. “It’s more, though. He fits.”
“Uh-huh. What happens when you and Heather start having babies?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” They’d all thought about it. He and Heather had talked about it. “I still have to talk to Heather’s folks about how I want her because I adore her, not because we’re betrothed from childhood or some shit.”