He let the officers still fingerprinting and taking pictures know they were leaving and would return later, and then led her out to his car. Like a gentleman, he opened her door and buckled her in before shutting it and getting behind the wheel. He turned the car on, but instead of pulling out, a look of apprehension crossed his face.
Now what. Her belly dropped.
He twisted in the seat and faced her. “Before we go, tell me why you were sad this morning.”
Startled, she jerked her gaze to his. “What?”
Colton stroked a finger down her cheek. “When I called this morning, first I felt your anger, and then you got sad.”
“Excuse me? You felt my emotions? How, precisely?”
The man smiled. “We, uh, bit you last night.”
“Yeah. So not happy about that, mister.” She covered one of those bites with her hand.
“We didn’t mean for it to happen that fast. I’m not sorry, but the act of biting one’s mate sort of opens a pathway between them. Allows mates to…sense each other, I guess you’d say. Marc also felt you. He was worried about you too.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you’ve already made me your mate? I didn’t even get a say in this?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about tonight.” He took both of her hands in his. “Look, it wasn’t mine or Marc’s intention to go as far as we did last night. Everything got out of hand the second you said you wanted us both, I admit.” Colton bit his lip and turned sheepish. “We, um…didn’t use any protection, either.”
Crap. The thought hadn’t even crossed Anna’s mind. The man was right. Things had gotten hot and heavy quick last night. She really couldn’t fault them entirely. She’d been there with them, body and soul. “I’m on the pill.”
Colton nodded. “Okay, then. And I can assure you in the disease department because, as wolves, we don’t carry them.”
“Well, you know I haven’t been with anyone in a while.”
“Anna.” He waited until she looked him in the eye. “Marc and I are in this forever. I’m sorry it happened so quickly and that we didn’t consult you first, but I can’t apologize for it happening because you make us whole. We weren’t sure it would ever happen. For wolves to find their mate is an amazing thing, and it doesn’t happen for all of us. Some wolves never find their other half. But’s it’s not all a cakewalk. You will always come first and foremost to us. Your needs and desires, your safety, your happiness will be what we live for. If that makes us overbearing, overprotective, jealous Neanderthals, we can’t help it. We won’t mean to smother you with attention, it won’t be something we can really control.”
Hell. When he put it that way…he made it sound like she’d be the cherished third in their triangle. What woman could argue with such a position?
She groaned. “Damn it. I swear to God, if you guys can’t let me be my own person…”
“Baby, you’ll be your own person. Neither of us wants to change you.”
Why was she even considering this?
Because of the way they’ve made you feel since the first second you met them. Special. She couldn’t deny for one second they’d made her feel special every day this week no matter what happened in her shit life. Notes and flowers and lunch and sundaes and baths and orgasms…
“What if it doesn’t work? What if you decide you don’t really like me once you learn all my quirks? What if I don’t like the way you leave the bread open on the counter?”
He snorted. “The bread was closed, so if it’s open on the counter now, then you did it. As for your quirks, they make you who you are.”
“Why did you plant my tree?”
Colton leaned close, so close his breath tickled her ear when he whispered, “Because you wanted it there.”
Chapter Ten
Marc carried in the last of Anna’s salvageable things and sighed. She sat on their couch, her feet tucked under her and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, while she sipped a cup of hot tea. She looked a tad vulnerable, and more than a tad incensed, and he hated it. She and Colton had ended up throwing most of her things in the trash while he’d been at school. He felt like shit because he hadn’t been around to hold her.
Colton had assured him they were fine without him and that Anna wasn’t upset but pissed. Apparently some depression was sinking in.
Damn it, they were supposed to protect her, and so far they’d done a pretty shitty job of doing so. The disturbing news he’d gotten on the way home from picking up the final load drummed in him the need to be more vigilant than he’d ever had to be.
Wanting to see for himself she was okay, he moved over to her, bent, put his hand on the back of her head, and kissed her. No use backing off now. Some of his tension eased when she reciprocated, kissing him back and thrusting her tongue against his. Maybe she wasn’t as angry over their mating as he believed she would be. Colton had said she wasn’t necessarily happy but also hadn’t kicked him in the balls, so Marc counted her attitude as a plus.
Still, Marc wouldn’t believe it until he held her in his arms and got to speak to her himself.
“You okay?” He caressed her cheek with his thumb.
She nodded but otherwise didn’t speak, which was fine, for now. He understood she had some things to work through. At the same time, she needed to realize she had both of them to lean on.
He caught Colton’s eye over her head and indicated for him to meet in the kitchen.
“I took the tire in like you asked.” Marc had changed her tire that morning before work, and he’d left the flat on in his trunk. When Colton had asked him to take it to the service station, his first instinct had been to say no because the tire was beyond repair. They were going to have to buy her a new one.
Now he knew why Colton wanted him to.
“He found some marks, possibly made by a knife. Something sharp, at any rate, that didn’t go all the way through the wall. Meaning the tire was slashed. Not all the way through but enough that he said it would have easily caused a blowout. It could have caused her to crash.”
“But it didn’t, so let’s not ask for trouble. We’ve got enough on our plate.” Colton glanced at Anna to make sure she was still watching TV. “Peter is out of the country. I did some digging, finally got his employer to tell me a few things. However, they haven’t been in contact with him, either, and won’t tell me where he is exactly.”
“That’s convenient.”
“Right. I’ve got some people looking into it. They’re also getting some information on his girlfriend, Vanessa King. Hopefully I’ll know more tomorrow.”
“This is serious, then. The house, the stolen car, the flat tire, the break-in. None of it’s coincidence, it’s all related. Someone’s out to hurt her.”
“Yeah, but who? The only logical person is her ex-husband.”
“That we know of. Has she mentioned any other names?”
“She hasn’t mentioned anyone because she is a divorced, elementary school teacher. And she is in the room, so stop talking about me like I’m not.” The smile she threw their way had sarcasm written all over it.
Marc crossed his arms at his chest. “You’re right. This concerns you, so you should be involved in the discussion.”
“Thank you.” She stepped closer and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “And thank you for the tree. I would have said something sooner, but…”
He hugged her close. “I understand.” His lips found hers, mingled until she opened to him so he could tangle his tongue with hers. He needed this. Needed to feel her and taste her and smell her.
“What happens next?” Anna tucked her hands into her jeans pockets and stepped out of reach.
Colton answered for him. “Tomorrow we go shopping. Unless you want to still be wearing that outfit your first day of school.”
Marc watched her shoulders sink. “I suppose I do need to replace a few things right now. Get a few interchangeable outfits while I wait for my insurance to send me a c
heck. Some new makeup, shoes. I guess if I’m living here, I don’t need things like dishes.”
“Hell no, baby.” Marc reached for her again and put her cheek on his chest while he rubbed her back. “Whatever is in this house is yours.”
The doorbell rang, and Colton excused himself to pay for the pizza they’d ordered. Anna’s stomach chose that moment to growl, and Marc grinned.
“Totally not embarrassing,” Anna said against his chest.
“I’m guessing you guys skipped lunch, so it doesn’t surprise me you’d be hungry.”
Colton brought the pizza to the table, and Marc released her. Hard to do when he really wanted to eat her, not pizza.
She had a slice up to her mouth before Colton could return with the plates. “One thing you should know about me. I don’t screw around when pizza’s involved.”
Marc shrugged. “I like a girl who eats. Never did go for boney chicks. And, you haven’t seen Colton and I take apart an animal we’ve hunted and taken down, so I’d say we’re even.”
She scrunched her nose and shuddered. “I’m not gonna have to hunt, am I? I like to eat, but raw meat is something I stay strictly away from.”
“No.” Colton grabbed a slice and took a bite too. “Our marking you will alter your system somewhat, but no, you won’t shift. You’ll get over illnesses easier, if you get sick at all, you’ll heal faster, live longer. Things of a similar nature. But you’re still human. We can’t change your species. Our children, on the other hand, should be able to shift.”
She pondered the notion for a bit while she polished off one piece and dug into a second. Watching her eat mesmerized Marc. And added to his horny thoughts.
Damn it, he’d missed her while he’d been at school all day.
He waited until she’d finished and licked the tomato sauce from her lips, and then grabbed her. “I want you.” He found the edge of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head. Anna sucked in a breath, but instead of covering herself, she gazed up at him, her eyes big and one hundred percent willing.
Colton moved in behind her. His hands came to her front and plucked open the bra so he could cover her breasts while Marc teased the skin of her neck with his lips.
This was something they could do for her, to take her mind off what had been happening this past week.
He unbuttoned her jeans, pushed them and her underwear over her hips, and helped her out of them. She shivered at the sudden draft against her naked skin, and goose bumps pebbled her arms. Colton warmed her by moving his hands up and down her arms.
“You are so beautiful.” Marc tipped her face up to his. “Every inch of you.”
Her cheeks went pink, which told him she didn’t get complimented often. He’d seen the take-no-prisoners side of her, and now he saw her vulnerable side. Marc envisioned exactly what he wanted to do with her. Glancing over her shoulder, he told Colton without using words what needed to happen. Colton nodded once, completely on board.
They led her to the couch, where they eased her into a sitting position with her bottom on the edge and her legs spread wide. For a second, Marc thought she would balk, but then she sank into the cushion and opened herself even more to them. Her teeth tugged on her lower lip as she watched them with more than a little suspicion.
Marc knelt with her right leg between his, and Colton did the same on her other leg. Both remained clothed. This was all about her tonight. Marc leaned back and grabbed her foot. He dug his fingers into the arch and began to smooth away some of the tension there. Colton mirrored the action.
Anna’s head fell back, and her eyes closed on a drawn out moan. They worked their way up her calves to her thighs, her belly, her shoulders, and down her arms until she was a boneless heap on the couch. When she lay loose and sleepy, Marc parted her pussy lips and spread the moisture he found there. She’d gotten excited by their innocent touches. Colton took a nipple in his mouth and the other between his fingers.
Her hips lifted, seeking more. Marc obliged, sliding his third finger into her sheath, watching as her pussy sucked him in greedily. He found her G-spot, and curving his finger, stroked it. She came off the couch, fully awake now and doing her best to come on his hand. He used his thumb on her clit, circling it in tiny figure eights until her eyes rolled back and she shouted, her legs squeezing as she tried to close them but unable to as they held her trapped.
Marc worked her through the orgasm, gentling her but not letting her go or pulling out of her pussy. Colton lapped at her nipples, which were stiff and dark pink from their attention.
When she’d finally come down, Marc slipped his finger out and waited until her gaze met his. When they did, he licked the digit clean. Her nostrils flared and the tip of her tongue poked out to wet her lips. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. She tried to sit up, tried to reach for Colton’s zipper when he stood.
“No. Not tonight, Anna. Tonight was all for you.”
“But I—”
He put his palm on her mouth and shook his head, silencing her. When she’d given up arguing, he put an arm under her knees and the other behind her back and lifted her. Marc moved ahead of them to the bed they’d shared the night before and turned back the covers.
Marc knew they’d done the right thing not pushing her tonight when she snuggled into Colton’s pillow and her eyes never opened.
They stood in the doorway and watched their mate sleep.
“We have to find out what the fuck is going on, Colt.” He could still taste her on his tongue.
“Believe me, I know this.”
•●•
Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. Outside, at least. Inside, Anna lay in a Marc and Colton cocoon, their natural body heat keeping her warm without needing a blanket. She wondered when they’d joined her because, beyond the orgasm they’d blown her away with on the couch, she didn’t remember anything.
She stretched, dislodging a hand on her belly. The owner of the hand, Colton, growled and tugged her back closer against his belly, and then pushed his nose into the nape of her neck.
“Is this how you greet all your women?” She couldn’t help but taunt him.
“No, this is how I greet my mate.” He punctuated his greeting by propping her leg over his and thrusting his cock into her pussy. Her breath caught in her throat.
Marc’s eyes opened sleepily and then popped wide. “Mmm…”
“I could get used to this greeting.”
“I definitely could.” Marc palmed a breast, his long fingers tweaking her nipple.
Apparently they loved her boobs because neither of them could stop touching them.
With one hand on her belly, keeping her tucked up against him, Colton set a quick rhythm, which did nothing for her since he was behind her.
“Touch yourself.” The whisper fanned her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. Could she get off with Marc watching her?
Hell yes, she could. She skimmed her hand to her clit. The way Colton had her leg thrown back left her pussy open and her clit poking out, begging for attention. With her middle finger, she rubbed it. She knew her body, knew how hard to press, what direction to swirl. It didn’t take any time at all with the added pressure inside her channel.
She lifted her gaze to Marc’s and held it while she rocked into her hand. His eyes began to take on the glow she was becoming familiar with.
“Do the same,” she murmured to Marc. “Come with me.”
He did, encircling his cock and giving it a lazy pull. He ran his thumb over the slit, gathering the fluid there, then raising the drop to her lips and asking her to taste him without words. Anna wrapped her lips around his thumb and sucked the smear of come from his skin. The salty tang of him spurred her need forward.
She doubled her efforts at her clit. The motion was a bit awkward because on her own she would have lain on her belly and stuck her hand under her. The pressure always seemed better in that position.
Marc shortened and quickened his strokes on h
is cock, and she could tell by the way his muscles hardened that he was close to coming. The telltale tingle at her clit signaled how close she was also. If humping her fingers made her a wanton mess, then so be it. Colton grunted in her ear and held rigid against her while his cock pumped inside her. A splash of warm liquid hit her belly, and Anna stared at Marc’s cock as it spurted his release. She’d paused to watch until Colton tossed her hand aside and took over, asserting the perfect amount of pressure and finishing her off.
They stayed tangled in each other’s arms until their breathing returned to normal, and at least her legs un-jellified. Colton’s nose nuzzled the back of her neck again, and Anna laughed out loud.
“Please tell me you’re not ready to go again already.”
A smack to her ass rewarded her insolence.
“No, baby, I’m done for now.” He kissed the slope of the shoulder. “It’s showers and shopping on the agenda next.”
Little did she know how shopping would dip her into an even deeper circle of hell.
Standing at the register with several outfits, some interchangeable and some stand-alones, a few pairs of jeans, several T-shirts, underwear, bras, socks, and four pairs of shoes, Anna grudgingly took out her credit card and handed it to the attendant. The total came close to five hundred dollars. An amount she would never spend willingly at one time. Hopefully it didn’t take long to receive her insurance check so she could pay off the balance quickly.
The boy swiped her card and then frowned. He swiped it again, and a nervous flutter threatened to turn to vomit in Anna’s stomach.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. This card’s been declined. It says I have to cut it up.”
“What?” She was sure the shriek could be heard outside the store. Embarrassment and anger warred inside her. On top of all the things happening to her, she shouldn’t be surprised at all, but damn it, this hurt.
“What’s wrong with the card?” Colton’s hand circled her back in a calming gesture.
“I don’t know. It just says on here to keep the card and destroy it.”
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