“Hmm-mm.” I tugged on his lower lip, my tongue sampling the delicacy of him. The tilt of my hips united me with his erection, and my gasp merged with his soft groan as he entered me with a gentle thrust. “Can’t you come with me?” I whispered. “I miss you when I go alone.”
His fingers caressed the soft flesh of my breast. “I thought you were going with Poppy.” He traced my jaw with his teeth, hovered above my pulse, where he suckled before trailing down my neck to my shoulder.
On a shudder, I tangled my fingers into his hair. “Tomorrow.” My body moved against him as my legs rose to entwine with his. A tilt of my head, and I encouraged his mouth back to my neck.
The journeying of his teeth and tongue sent shivers along my spine. “I’ll speak to Dad, see what he says.” His mouth worked my throbbing flesh.
As I found his throat and did some teasing of my own, his steady rhythm kicked in. His arm snaked beneath my back, holding me to him as he took control. Back arched, eyes connected with his, I gave myself to him. With every thrust, my body trembled, as did his. My fingers grasped his shoulders as though afraid to let go.
With the magic of his body, the heat within me and his dark eyes brimming with emotion above, he took me over the edge until I cried out, spurred on by the deep growls of his desire.
Sean crumpled against me, breaths ragged. As his heart pounded my chest, our beats synchronised. Our gazes remained locked, moistness invading Sean’s eyes, whilst a similar dampness misted my own.
“I love you, Jem,” he said.
“I know. Why else would I be here?”
My natural response, one I gave often, always made him smile.
“Okay, you two!” Nathan, Sean’s dad, boomed from downstairs. “Time to get up!”
I groaned.
A sparkle claimed Sean’s eyes. “We’ll get up when breakfast is ready.”
“We’re not your bloody slaves,” Ethan called. “Get your own.”
Sean chuckled as we hauled our backsides out of bed and pulled open the bedroom door. On the landing, we both turned for the bathroom.
“Sean!”
We twisted to Nathan—our Alpha—at the bottom of the stairs, where he stood with sternness in his pale blue eyes beneath a dark mop of hair his two sons had inherited.
With a lift of his eyebrows, Sean shrugged as though to say ‘what now?’
“You can shower separately,” Nathan said. “We need to leave the house at some point today.” A common order from Nathan. He often split us up—although he did have a point. If we stepped into the generous shower cubicle together and lathered the soap up across one another’s body, we’d get sidetracked, everyone would be waiting for us, we wouldn’t care, and they’d get stroppy.
Taking advantage of Sean’s distraction, I spun for the door first.
• • •
Dressed in a green sweater and jeans, my blonde hair still wet against my shoulder blades, I jogged into the kitchen as Sean lowered a plate holding four slices of toast and two poached eggs onto the table.
He inclined his head. “Sit.”
I sent him a smile on the way to my usual spot, parked my rear in the oak-carved chair.
Ethan smirked from the opposite seat, humour lending a shine to dark eyes that matched Sean’s. “Good evening.”
I picked up my fork. “You’re getting funnier, Ethan. You’ve been practicing again, haven’t you?”
The chair to my left scraped out as Sean joined me with a plate of his own. He nudged a drink in front of me and pointed his knife at my food as he shovelled a forkful of egg into his cavernous mouth. “Eat.”
“Very masterful.” My gaze lifted to Nathan on my right. “You must be so proud of your Neanderthals.”
Nathan’s focus never left his newspaper. “Eat your food, Jem.”
“Wonder where they get it from.” Toast and egg found their way into my mouth, rinsed down with a swig of coffee.
“If you want Sean to join you today, you’d better get a move on.” Nathan’s eyes remained downcast toward his paper. “If we don’t leave soon, we’ll fall behind, and then I won’t be able to spare him.”
Despite my mouthful of food, I smiled. I’d got my way, and would get to spend the day with Sean—alone.
Sean’s increased speed suggested approval of his dad’s decision. As soon as he finished, he jumped up from the table and sped to the bathroom.
Whilst I waited, I cleared away the breakfast plates, piling them into the dishwasher. My head tilted at Sean’s footsteps padding back across the landing. Lids lowering, I envisaged his naked body glistening from the water, steam rising from his flesh on contact with the cool air.
My eyes opened. I turned toward the stairs, took a step.
“Sit down.” Nathan’s attention left his paper long enough to give me his ‘stern’ look.
When I peered once more toward where my mind had travelled, Nathan cleared his throat. With a sigh, I slumped into my seat, glaring at Ethan’s quiet snorts of laughter into his mug.
A few minutes later, Sean’s booted feet carried him into the kitchen. The dampness of his hair made it appear almost black. Along the back of his T-shirt, a line of moisture clung, where he’d failed to dry the rivulets either side of his spine.
I tracked his movements across the room to pick up his wallet and keys.
As he shoved them into his jeans pockets, he turned and sent me a flash of a grin.
My stomach tightened.
“Time to go.” Nathan pushed up from his chair. “You won’t need your keys, Sean. We’ll all go in the pick-up.”
Sean’s frown appeared fast and furious, booting his grin aside. “But …Dad . . .”
A thirty-two year old man being told what to do by his father could be considered quite sad, but it was the way of the pack—the Alpha said jump, we asked how high?
“You can drop me and Ethan off,” Nathan said. “And I need you to make a list of the piping we’ll need for the showroom kitchen. Then you’re free to go, and you can collect us on your way home when you’ve finished.”
“But . . .” Sean stared down at his Porsche keys.
“Take it or leave it, Son. It’s my only offer.”
“Sure.” Sean tossed the keys down before following Nathan to the door.
• • •
In the showroom apartment, Nathan strode across the lounge and tugged back the cardboard flaps on one of a dozen packages lined against the wall. “These what you hoped they’d be like?”
I smiled at the shiny, vermillion unit door I’d ordered for the kitchen. “Perfect.” I nodded to the other packages. “The white ones—are they as glossy?”
“Exactly the same but white.” His mood seemed to have improved since morning. “You want to check?”
“Sure do.”
From the corner, he retrieved another flat-pack piece of cardboard and brought it over. Opening the flaps revealed whiteness as brilliant as snow beneath a winter sun.
My lips curved as I ran a finger across the door’s surface.
“This will be the lounge.”
Nathan and I turned at Josh’s voice.
He smiled.
Beside him stood the dark-haired, young woman from the other day.
The hackles shot up along my spine. My head dipped. Eyebrow raised, I sent Nathan a sideways glance before I fixed a stare back on her.
“It’s a good size.” She smiled up at Josh—way up. From a vertical perspective, she had to be at least a foot below Josh’s six-three height.
Josh walked over, kissed my cheek. “Are the doors right, Jem?”
I nodded but continued to watch the girl.
The girl followed Josh’s every move. As he walked, her eyes tracked his legs, his arms. When h
e spoke, she studied his lips, his eyes. During interaction with me, she never broke contact with him. She had to be either unnaturally interested in a man she didn’t even know, or naturally very observant. I couldn’t figure out which.
“This is Marianne.” His hand came to the small of my back, nudging me forward a step as he gestured to her.
Face to face, I studied her.
Pegged her to be around twenty-one.
Without a doubt, pretty.
I saw why she’d taken Josh’s attention—but her eyes led me to believe the deal went deeper than the surface as they contradicted the outward youth she portrayed, making her look like a calculating, wise, old owl.
I didn’t realise how long I stared, or that I hadn’t spoken—even the narrowing of my eyes didn’t register.
Josh leaned in close. “Please, play nice, Jem.”
All sorts of ideas whizzed through my mind to drag her arse outside and request, not too politely, that she find another male to set her sights on—preferably not one from our pack—but I took a step forward and extended my hand. “I’m Jem.” My lips stretched in an attempted smile.
“Nice to meet you, Jem.”
On release of her hand, I resisted the urge to wipe my palm across my jeans leg, turning to Nathan instead.
He frowned—probably at my outright rudeness—and offered his own hand. “Nice to meet you, Marianne. I’m Nate.”
Nathan always introduced himself as ‘Nathan’ to strangers; he reserved ‘Nate’ for friends and family. I scowled. Am I the only one impervious to her?
Breakable, tiny fingers folded around Nathan’s. “Hi, Nate.”
“Come on.” Josh stepped away from me, placing a guiding hand on Marianne’s elbow. “I’ll show you the rest of the rooms.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Nathan whispered, “What’s up with you?”
“She’s lying.”
“About what?”
“She doesn’t give a damn about these apartments. The only thing here holding her attention is Josh.”
“Does that really matter? Josh seems content enough to play along.”
“If she likes him, she could say. I’m sure the truth would work just as well.” I sounded like a sulky child.
“Perhaps she’s shy.”
“Does she look shy to you, Nate?”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know much about women. Haven’t had much experience with them.”
“Except for Beth.”
His gaze, as it met mine, filled with anguish, I presumed at the mention of his human wife—the mother of his two sons. Nathan sent her away over ten years before, after Connor’s wife had been killed in an attack by another pack. He believed it the only way to keep her safe. Neither Sean nor Ethan had seen her since.
“Except for Beth,” he said at last. “And you.”
I smiled. “Surely, I’m too much of a pain in your arse to count?”
His chuckle told me my attempt at lightening the moment worked. “Jem, you overestimate yourself. Come on, let’s round up and get home.”
3
On Saturday, we spent the day at Poppy’s for her son’s birthday—a morning and afternoon of sandwich making, pirate games, and Sean exposing his natural way with kids by chasing about the garden with the entire party of nine year olds whilst Poppy followed him with her digital camera. Watching him turned out to be entertaining, enlightening and almost heartbreaking, all at the same time.
Daylight showed the first sign of dimming when Sean stopped the truck outside home and turned the key. Quiet met our ears, filled only by our breaths.
“What did you think?” I asked when he made no move to get out.
The question didn’t really need asking. Anyone with eyes could have seen the fun Sean had at the party, reliving his youth, burning off energy.
He turned, his teeth flashing a smile. “It was awesome. Ben’s so cool. Lily, too.”
“That’s because they have Poppy as their mum,” I said. “And Jase as their dad.”
He nodded and leaned back against the cushioned headrest. His lids lowered as though taking a moment for personal thought. “Fancy a game of ball?” he asked, opening his eyes.
“Heck, yes.”
We exited the car and whilst Sean forked off to gather up the basketball, I entered the house through the conservatory. “We’re playing ball if anyone’s interested,” I said before heading back out.
Sean and I had already pulled off our sweaters, our scrabbling for the ball well under way by the time the others emerged, their scents, one by one, reaching me and identifying them. Of course, they took his side, leaving me to chase after them, as usual, like the puny kid who couldn’t quite keep up.
Kyle bulleted toward their goal with the ball he’d stolen from me, and before I could reach him, he leaped, aimed, shot and scored.
A dive landed me on his back, my arms wound around his shoulders. “That was cheating. The game’s barely started.”
He chuckled. “You being a bad sport, Jem?”
My lips pursed as I slid down him until my feet met the ground. “No.”
The game recommenced, and my muscles came alive with the exercise. Adrenaline surging, my heartbeat sped up, my breaths hastened—until Kyle tackled me as I made a dash toward the action.
His hands gripped my waist, and he whirled me round to face the wrong way.
I growled. “You’re going to be in trouble if you keep this up.”
The next attack came from Daniel, the middle Larsen son. He dove for me as I jumped for the ball, and we collided midair before the ball could reach me. His arms came around my waist, saving me from the blow, and our feet slammed the lawn on our landing.
“What’s this? Pick on Jem day?” I nudged him away with my shoulder. “You’re all as bad as Josh . . .” I halted. Where the heck is Josh?
He never missed out.
After a rapid check confirmed he hadn’t come out, I jogged across to the house and pulled open the conservatory door. “Josh!”
No answer. Even the noise of game play grew quiet as they paused.
“Josh! Come and play!” I called.
Feet shuffled from the lounge into the hallway.
I smiled …until Connor appeared instead of Josh. “Where’s Josh? Tell him to come out.”
“He’s not here,” Connor said.
“But …it’s almost dinnertime.”
Connor’s green eyes shot to the side beneath his red hair. “He’s not eating with us today.”
I frowned, took a step into the kitchen. “Is he ill?”
“No. He’s gone out.”
My frown deepened. “Where’s he gone?”
Sean’s scent spiralled through before his feet hit the tiled floor of the conservatory. “What’s up?”
I turned to him. “Did you know Josh was going out today?”
“No.” He faced Connor. “Where’s he gone?”
“On a date.” Daniel spoke from behind us.
I whirled, checking his face, his eyes, but found no sign of a joke despite his smile and jovial tone. “A date?”
He nodded. “With that girl he met. What’s her name …?”
“Marianne.” I scowled as my good mood drained away.
“Yeah, that one.”
Daniel seemed oblivious to my expression as I glanced back to Connor. Connor’s gaze met mine for only a split second before he gave his attention to the tiled floor.
As I looked from one man to the next, my hands tightened at my sides, my jaw ached from the clenching of my teeth, and those hoods of mine overhung with the mega-furrowing of my brow.
Sean took a step forward, reached out for me, but I spun and headed inside, already digging in m
y pocket for my mobile.
“Jem?”
Ignoring Sean’s call, I squeezed past Connor through to the hall.
With my mobile held out before me, I scrolled down to Josh’s name and hit the call button.
As I strode past the living room, a tilt of my head revealed Nathan. I didn’t speak, just kept going.
At the end of the hall, I u-turned and raced up the stairs, two at a time. The first door on the left led to my bedroom. I entered and slammed the door behind me.
The ring tone sounded four times, five, six, seven. Each ring frustrated me further, fuelling my impatience.
He’s doing it on purpose. Maybe he knew what I had to say.
Josh answered on the ninth ring. “Jem?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going on a date? Is it because you’re with her?”
“Jem?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Whah …what’s wrong?”
“Are you on a date? Yes or no?”
“Excuse me for a minute.” His muffled volume told me his words weren’t aimed at me. The sound of his footsteps indicated movement before he spoke to me again. “Jem, what’s wrong?”
“Why am I finding out from everyone else you’re on a date?”
“What? I—”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Is it with her—the faker?”
“Jem!” His tone arrived sharp.
“Don’t Jem me.” My warm temper burned. “You knew you were going on a date, and you didn’t tell me.”
“I haven’t seen you.” Irritation marred his tone, too.
“You’ve seen me all week. Was it because you knew I wouldn’t approve?”
“What are you going on about? How can I tell you something I don’t even know myself?”
“Don’t give me that.”
“Marianne only called last night to ask me out. I haven’t seen you since then, so how could I possibly tell you? And what do you mean, you wouldn’t approve?”
“She called you? She called you? That’s because she has ulterior motives.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“She’s a liar,” I said. “She’s lied from the off and played you like a fiddle.”
Blue Moon Page 2