Family Harmony

by J. J. Massa

  She didn’t seem to notice anything but the sensations flooding her tight center.

  “Say it! Mine!” he growled again, the sound rumbling from him.

  “Yes, Lakon. Yours.” She groaned.

  “Only MINE!” he growled again.

  “Yes!” she screamed, climaxing. “Only yours. Only yours, Lakon.”

  The lupine roared his climax and his triumph simultaneously. Lakon collapsed on top of his mate, panting.

  A minute later, he rolled to his back taking her with him. He had them both sitting up against headboard before she could even think straight again.

  “Mya, Baby?” he licked her shoulder, lathing the bite he’d made.

  “Lakon?”

  “You okay, Baby?” her rumbled. “Was I too rough?” he leaned down and licked her shoulder again.

  “I’m not sure what I am, but I’m pretty sure it’s better than okay,” she told him. She seemed a little dazed. “What just happened, Lakon?” She looked up at him. “I’m no expert, I know, but that seemed like… more somehow.” She stared into his eyes.

  “Mya, maybe what I did right now was unfair but, can you try to believe that I love you?”

  She stared at him, stunned. She shook her head negatively and then nodded haltingly.

  “What we did, Baby…” he took a deep breath. “We did what, in my family, is called “establishing a mate-bond”,” he told her.

  “Like with wolves?” she asked.

  “Very much so. Like being married. I put my mark on you.” He licked her neck and shoulder again.

  She looked at him, considering.

  “I should have asked you to marry me, Mya. Maybe I…”

  She placed two fingers at his lips.

  “I’d like to know more about your family and their way of doing things. I’d like to know you better.” She relaxed against his chest. “I’ve lived with fear of one sort or another for a very long time,” she told him. He watched her intently. “I think maybe I love you but I only know love from my brother.”

  Lakon closed his arms around her tightly. “Want to hang out together and fuck a lot and see if we’re in love?” He tilted his head and arched a brow.

  She stared unblinking for a full minute. He thought he’d gone too far until she began to smile. Her smile faltered a bit.

  “You promise not to hurt me, Lakon?” she looked in his eyes.

  “I promise,” he said. It killed him that she needed this from him but he understood. “I need a promise from you, Mya,” he said.

  It’s now or never… almost.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “If I tell you something, you have to try to believe me. You have to remember that I will never hurt you and I will die to keep you safe. And if I ever seem or look different to you, you remember that I’m me and you’re my mate? Just look in my eyes and see me, okay?”

  He should tell her now—he should have told her before they’d made love—but he couldn’t. Hopefully what he’d told her already would be enough for now.

  “Okay, Lakon, I promise,” she told him.

  Pulling her against his body, he sighed and slid into a reclining position with her.

  “Nap?” he yawned.

  “Nap,” she chuckled.

  * * * *

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

  Internal Medicine Floor

  “I’m looking for Myles Brooks’ room, please?” Mya asked the young lady behind the desk. The young, female doctor standing behind the girl sent a probing look at Mya but didn’t speak. The first young woman was monitoring a bank of television screens and never looked up.

  “Oh, you want the hottie in four-oh-two? Visiting hours…”

  With a smile, Mya interrupted. “He’s my brother, but I’ll tell him you said he’s a hottie.”

  Visiting hours weren’t strictly enforced for family members, she knew. Myles had spent his fair share of time in the hospital over the years. She’d spent a fair amount of time visiting him.

  When Mya pushed open the door to room four-oh-two, it was dark inside. She moved to the foot of bed and took a deep breath.

  Mya moved around the bed and sat on the edge near her brother’s waist.

  “Hallo Luv,” she said, running her fingers through the hair at his forehead.

  “Hi, Pet,” he mumbled, trying to sit up. “I’m sorry to worry you, one of the Drs. Montgomery or Livingston has found an anomaly that needs fixing or something.”

  “That’s dead inconsiderate of you, innit?” she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

  “I’m definitely bad news, I am,” he conceded.

  “It’s because you’re a hottie. That’s why they want you here. The Sisters are bored and lonely.” She chuckled and he joined her.

  “How’d it go with Himself and the pictures?” he asked her.

  “The pictures were a blooming pain in the arse,” she winced, “but Himself made up for all.”

  She blushed and turned her head. Myles reached up and gently tugged her face back toward his.

  “You shagging the boss now, Luv?” he asked her with an arched brow.

  Still blushing, she said, “Not precisely this minute. More like—have shagged.”

  “Because you wanted to? No other reason?” He stared intently at her.

  “No other reason, Sweet.” She gave him a beautiful smile.

  He gave her the same smile in return. She leaned forward and brother and sister wrapped their arms around each other.

  Suddenly, Mya jerked back. “Oh no! I bet I mucked it all up!” she moaned.

  At his look, she explained. “I answered the phone and…”

  “…When you heard I was staying, every rational thought fled your mind?” he finished for her. She groaned, dropping her head to his chest.

  “I’m such an IDIOT!” she groaned.

  “Not even a note, Pet?” he rubbed her back.

  “Not the first hint of why I’m not there right now,” she said into his chest. “Did shag—only ever once.”

  She raised her head and whispered, “I knew he was safe and you…” she sniffed, “what if you’re not alright, Myles?” She was terrified that her brother could still die. There were no guarantees.

  *

  Watching and listening from the bank of monitors, Lakon, who had arrived shortly after Mya, turned to Yancey.

  “What does “shag” mean?” he asked.

  “Good God, it means screw! You know, fuck?” groaned the young woman staring at the monitors. “Don’t you even go to the movies?” she still didn’t look up.

  Yancey and the young doctor looked at her in alarm.

  “Was it a movie my brother was in?” Lakon asked, riveted to the monitor with Myles and Mya in it. His brother, Riker Montgomery, was a successful actor with a few academy awards under his belt.

  The monitor-watching girl jerked her head around and breathed, “Lakon Montgomery?”

  Lakon looked at her briefly and smiled his “famous singer” smile. The girl collapsed against her chair.

  “Cousin Lakon, I’m so sorry. She’s—this girl is…” The Beta of the entire Montgomery pack had just been insulted. Lakon knew that Maisie considered herself responsible.

  “Don’t worry about it, Maisie. Let’s go down and see Myles and Mya. Yance, make sure that volume gets turned down.” He arched a brow at the red-faced girl and turned toward Myles’ room.

  He slipped through the door quietly. Neither twin looked up.

  “Imagine my surprise…” he began, Mya jerked upright and froze. In three strides, he was across the room. “You won’t do that again, Baby?” He pulled her from her brother’s arms into his own. “At least leave me a note, hmm?”

  “I promise,” she whispered.

  Keeping an arm around Mya, Lakon reached out and shook Myles hand.

  Turning to Maisie, Lakon asked, “So what’s the prognosis, Maisie?”

  She immediately dropped her eyes and reached for Myles’ cha
rt. “Um, I’d like to take Myles back to Duke, Cousin Lakon. I think there are a few things we can do to there that we can’t do elsewhere. Dr. Jane Montgomery and Dr. Abel Livingston are involved in the testing for gene replacement therapy.”

  “Sounds good.” Lakon agreed. Looking at Myles, he asked, “We’re heading over to the Alltel Pavilion in a couple of days. You okay with that, Myles?”

  Myles looked intently at Lakon for a few minutes. Finally, he shrugged, grinning. “I’m in, mate. It’s not like I got somewhere else to be.”

  * * * *

  When they returned to the hotel that night, Lakon guided Mya up to his suite. He ordered supper for them and they ate together, talking of Myles’ hospitalization and the concert series that would be ending soon.

  When the meal was over and Mya had become unsure of what she should do next, Lakon took her into his arms.

  “Mya, stay here with me,” he rumbled into her hair.

  “Here with you, Lakon?” she repeated.

  “Stay with me in my room, in my life, in my bed, as a mate should. Stay.”

  She couldn’t think with him holding her and kissing her as he was. That was okay. She didn’t really need to think. If she weren’t already in love with Lakon Montgomery, she would never have made love with him.

  He must have felt her surrender to him because he swung her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He stripped her clothing from her tenderly, revealing more and more of her to his eager eyes and hands. He groaned his appreciation of her body as he continued his leisurely exploration. His emerald gaze traveled over her face, her mouth, her graceful neck and shoulders.

  Somehow, his own clothing floated away and she hungrily touched and stroked his bare flesh. He was hot and hard, all rippling muscles, smooth skin and soft, masculine hair darkening as it tapered from the thick blonde mat on his chest to the curly fleece framing his rod.

  She felt his fingers smoothly parting her feminine lips. The touch of his fingers sent liquid heat spiraling through her, melting her insides and curling her toes. Soon she felt the smooth, round head of his staff pushing between her legs, gliding through her body's juices as he slowly entered her.

  Groaning, he pushed into her tight, moist sheath, filling her completely. He waited, letting her get used to the feeling of him. Soon, he began to move inside her, slowly at first, then more quickly, sinking deeply inside her with each thrust.

  Every deep stroke built an urgent need for more, an insatiable hunger that had her hands caressing the flexing muscles of his back, squeezing his buttocks, begging incoherently for more. She found herself rising to meet his hips as he drove into her, in and out, again and again.

  She heard herself crying out inarticulately as her orgasm burst over her, muscles convulsing, tightening on him and squeezing. Intense shudders controlled her body as she flew apart with her climax.

  Lakon rumbled a groan into her throat as he pumped hard once, twice and froze, his own release whipping through him. She could feel his hot semen spurting into her and then he collapsed on top of her, replete.

  Chapter 6

  Alltel Pavilion

  Raleigh, NC

  A week later, Mya was in the center of the huge outdoor arena, heading down toward the stage when she saw that Lakon was there already, but he wasn’t alone. She stopped and watched as he dropped to his knees in front of a beautiful blonde woman.

  She felt no jealousy toward the other woman. She was confident that Lakon loved only her. He hadn’t said it again since the first time they’d made love but she believed he felt it. They’d automatically shared a room when they arrived in North Carolina and it felt right.

  Mya was looking forward to the four-month break they’d have. He’d spoken little about what he hoped to do during the break but had mentioned introducing her to his family.

  On the stage below her, Lakon wrapped both arms around the woman’s hips and pressed his head to her abdomen as if he were listening to something. Unmoving, still halfway up the auditorium, Mya stood staring, knowing there was something in her memory about this woman. She’d never met her but she should know who she was.

  Suddenly, her attention was torn from the stage by the feeling of a hard body pressed against her own from head to heels. One strong arm came around her middle and the other hand plunged into her hair, tugging gently until she allowed her head to angle, exposing her neck and right shoulder.

  “Mmm, you are very sweet and tasty, lovely Mya,” a deep, masculine voice rumbled into her throat at her clavicle. When she felt him lick her there, she gasped. “You smell beautiful,” the big man purred. “My brother is a very lucky man.” He began to massage her scalp.

  “Mr. Montgomery, please…” It had to be the famous actor, Riker Montgomery—Lakon only had the one brother, she knew. She pulled against his arm and the hand in her hair tightened. She tried to struggle but he held her immobile. “Let me go, Mr. Montgomery, please?” she forced through her dry throat.

  “Call me Riker, Honey,” he murmured, dragging his lips back and forth over her neck and shoulder in an intimate caress. “We’re a very close-knit family. Just call me Riker.”

  She continued to struggle until the big man growled low in his throat. She froze instantly, standing very still, afraid to move. Somehow, she knew this wasn’t a come-on. She felt like a juicy bone.

  “Take your hands—and your mouth—off of my mate,” rumbled Lakon, menacingly.

  “But brother, I’m just having a little conversation with my beautiful and tasty new sister. There’s nothing but love here,” he crooned into her throat, his tongue darting out to lick her warm skin.

  Before she knew what was happening, the brothers were snarling at each other and she was sandwiched in between them. Shaking, she stood immobile, certain that one wrong move would have these big, muscular men snarling, biting and ripping at one another—with her in between.

  Riker rubbed his cheek against Mya’s while he continued to caress her scalp. Lakon’s flashing green eyes glared in fury at the man behind her. He didn’t even seem to realize that she was there.

  “Help?” she all but prayed. She was unable to emit more than a thin, frightened squeak.

  “Stop that you two!” A very angry, very beautiful blonde woman had made her way up to them. “Just because your father isn’t here doesn’t mean you can act like wild dogs! Riker, you let go of your brother’s mate right now before I take her and go to the islands for a girl’s weekend!”

  The woman sounded credibly threatening and reached between the brothers, tugging Mya free. She could feel herself shaking. The other woman wrapped an arm around her and marched her down a few more steps before stopping.

  She whirled to face the still-snarling men. “Making a pregnant woman run uphill like that,” she growled. Riker and Lakon began to look a little shame-faced. The woman got right up in each man’s face as she finished yelling at him. “If we want male companionship at all, we’ll find someone who’ll treat us like beautiful women, not a bowl of moist kibble.”

  She marched back down the stairs and slipped an arm around Mya’s waist mumbling, “Just keep walking. You can’t let ‘em smell your fear. It just makes ‘em feel tough.” A few seconds later, the blonde whispered, “It helps if you get mad, it kind of wipes out the fear smell.”

  * * * *

  Near Alltel Pavilion

  Raleigh, NC

  After they’d been walking for a few minutes, the women found an outdoor café and were seated.

  “I’m Bethany Black Montgomery, Riker’s wife,” the blonde woman told Mya.

  “I thought I should know you from somewhere. I was just trying to place how I recognized you when… when your husband… um…” Mya didn’t want to make the other woman mad. She had no woman friends and this one seemed handy to have around.

  “I’m really sorry about Riker. Somehow I thought he was more mature than that. Lakon’s been teasing him since we first met. He’s never teased his brother as ba
d as what Riker did with you, though. I really can’t believe he’d take a chance like that. I guess mature and man, don’t belong in the same sentence.” She was giggling now. So was Mya.

  “So you don’t think they’ll actually fight?” Mya was still pretty worried about that. “They’re both pretty growly.”

  “Naw, they’ll just growl and brood. What has Lakon told you about himself and his family?” Bethany asked her.

  “Um, not too much,” Mya began. “He says that being growly is a family trait and that they’re very primal.”

  Bethany expelled a breath. “That’s an understatement,” she sighed. “Nothing else?”

  “Well, he said we’d established a mate-bond, like… wolves I guess…” Mya wrinkled her brow. “Like being married, but not married, he said.”

  “The man’s an idiot, pure and simple,” Bethany stated. Mya looked at her, alarmed. “I’m sorry. I guess my temper’s pretty short, these days. I’m about to have another baby and that makes me growly, sometimes.” She laughed to herself. “I guess that’s why we left our twin boys with his mother this time!”

  “How did you meet Riker and Lakon?” Mya asked the lovely blonde.

  Bethany laughed. “That’s a story for a pitcher of margaritas! I met Riker by accident and got separated from him. It really is a long story. The first time I met Lakon, I was walking down the highway in the freezing cold and he gave me a lift.”

  “Wow! I’m sure you were glad of the ride, weren’t you?” Mya asked, fascinated.

  “Not really. Not then. See, I didn’t know if I could trust Riker and Lakon right then. In fact, a little later he pulled the car over and I jumped out. He tackled me and I sprayed ammonia in his eyes.” She shook her head, remembering. “I can’t believe he ever spoke to me again after that. Of course, a two-hundred-something pound man tackling you in gravel leaves quite an impression, too!”

  “One of these days, I’d really like to hear the whole story, Bethany. That is, if…” Mya began.

  “Don’t worry, Mya, you and I will have that girls weekend and get roasted and toasted. I’ll tell you every detail!” Bethany promised.

  After that, the two women talked for a while about how that evening’s concert would be the last in the current series. Bethany spoke of introducing Mya to the rest of the family if she chose to join them in the upcoming days.