by Maia Dylan
She tugged them back and looked around the table with a wry grin. “Sorry, I’m really excited to see what’s in here, and I’m shaking.”
“Then rip that lid off and take a look-see!” Faith shouted, and they all laughed.
Pepper was still giggling when she lifted the lid and spread the deep red tissue paper that lay inside it open. There was a deep red cotton T-shirt lying in the box, with white writing emblazoned across the front.
“I was targeted by a crazy man and I survived,” she read out loud as she tugged the shirt from the box. When she looked up, she saw that her friends had all removed their top layer and were all wearing a T-shirt of their own, all in different colors.
“Yeah, baby!” Faith yelled as she picked up her glass. “Here’s a toast to us! Every single one of us was targeted by some crazed fucked-up bastard and lived to tell the tale. Put the damn thing on, Pepper! I was gonna get ‘and I killed the fucker’ on the back, but Lucy said that might be a bit much.”
Lucy grinned as she held up a hand, showing less than half an inch between her thumb and index finger. “Just a little, Faith. Besides, Ty is starting to run out of places to hide the damn bodies.”
Pepper giggled as she tugged the shirt over her head, tugged her hair clear, and proudly pulled it into place. “There. I love it. And I would have proudly worn the statement on the back, too. I don’t know if it’s me or the tequila in these drinks, but I think I am okay with what I had to do to survive.”
Rowena sat forward a huge smile on her face. “And you should be, sweetie. You survived because of who you are. In fact, there are some psychological journals that have indicated a rational—”
“Oh, would someone shut her the hell up!” Faith interrupted, shooting Rowena a frustrated look with eyes that sparkled with amusement. “Every damn time you go all doctor-y on us, we end up having to listen to the three separate and differing opinions on some kind of psychoanalysis or some such shit. Fuck that. Drink!”
They all laughed, tried to drink, and choked a little as they did. This was what it felt like to belong, and Pepper opened herself up to the experience. The afternoon passed quickly, and the girls ordered more food, all of them deciding that they weren’t ready to put an end to their lunch. AJ and Sam handed the bar over to their night manager and headed in their direction. Both men walked directly to their mate. Pepper smiled as they whispered into her ear, and whatever they said, it had Cassadee grinning and a blush rising in her cheeks. They then moved to sit at the booth directly behind their table.
The bar was slowly filling with dinner patrons, and Pepper loved that everyone seemed to know each other. Angel’s men Noah and Chris Carson both arrived, with Wyatt, Luke, and Chase Greyson, Rowena’s men. They had always been friends, but now that their mates were so close, the Carsons and Greysons were closer than ever. They had all played a part in keeping their mates alive. The night Rowena had saved Angel and raised the alarm that she was in trouble using the code word “quarterback” had also been the night the Carson brothers experienced the Quickening for Angel. It was also the night she gave birth to her son, Mateo. The men all came over to kiss their mates and say hello to them before joining AJ and Sam.
“I reckon the call’s gone out,” Faith said, and Pepper noticed her eyes were a little brighter than usual. Pepper had lost count of the number of margarita pitchers they had consumed through the afternoon.
“What call?” Xanthe asked as she reached for a buffalo wing.
“The call that said the women folk are still in the bar,” Cassadee answered as she wiped the ranch dressing from her fingers. “My men would have sent the call out, and the others will be heading here to make sure y’all get home okay.”
Pepper grinned at that. She liked the idea that these women were cherished and loved. Like she was. Heat flooded her cheeks at that thought.
“Eewwwy, Miss Pepper,” Faith crooned, “I’m wondering what put that pretty red blush in those cheeks.”
“Probably the same thing that makes us all a little red,” Melaina said with a knowing grin. “Where the hell are our men, and what’s keeping them?”
As if on cue, the rest of the men stepped into the bar. Pepper scanned their faces as they strode in en masse. Ty and Trent led the way, with Hunter and Dane right behind them. Then came Cody and Brendan Anderson both in their EMT uniforms, which Pepper knew their mate appreciated because she heard Lucy sigh “have mercy” when she caught sight of them. Kyle and Grant Snow both made a beeline for Laina as Jase and Rhys Wilson closed in on Parris.
Pepper lost the ability to think at all then because Tomas and Diego finally walked into the restaurant. The smiles that filled their faces when their gazes rested on her filled her heart with joy. Unable to stop herself, she stood as they started toward her. These were her men, her mates, and she felt the final crack in her heart heal. Tomas approached, and she melted into him when he tugged her forward to press his lips to hers, taking her mouth in a quick, hot kiss.
She moaned at the passion she felt in his kiss and then whimpered at the loss when he pulled back. She only had a moment to mourn the loss in any detail because then Diego was kissing her hello and all was right in the world again.
“Hello, my loves,” she whispered when Diego pulled back and they both crowded into her again.
“Damn, niña,” Tomas groaned, pressing his lips to the left side of her neck, right over his claiming bite. “You sure pick your moments.”
“Christ, I wish we were at home,” Diego growled against the other side of her neck making her shiver.
“But you’re not,” Ty Jamieson called out from where he stood with Faith plastered to his front. “You’re here. With us, and we’re all having dinner, so stop with the face sucking and let’s get to the eating so we can get our mates home and f—ow! Damn it, Faith!” Ty rubbed his flat stomach when Faith had slammed it with an elbow.
“Behave, Ty Jamieson, or it will be the couch for you,” Faith reprimanded him.
“Again,” Trent added with a laugh.
Pepper giggled as Tomas and Diego gave her one last hug before moving to join the rest of the men. It was amazing to think of how far she had come in the short time she had been here. All of these people had risked their lives for their mates, for their futures, and for each other. It was a pretty heady feeling to think she belonged in that group.
* * * *
“What are you thinking?” Tomas looked up at the question Ty asked and saw that it was directed at him. “You’ve been staring at the women for the past ten minutes, and although I can’t blame you, I gotta ask what’s going through your mind.”
Tomas took a sip of the soda he was drinking and sighed. “The shirts they are all wearing—they tell a hell of a story, don’t they?”
Ty nodded, taking a sweeping glance around the women’s table himself. “Yeah, they’ve all earned them. It’s hard to think about. They are all beautiful fantastic women who have faced adversity and danger to get the life they deserved. Although I wish none of them were ever in any kind of danger, I know that’s wishful thinking.”
“And that danger will always be there.” Trent leaned in. “Ty and I head the shifter council with the intention of making the world a better place for our sons and the children yet to come for us and our pack. With shifter factions warring, and rogues beginning to surface more and more and seem to do so only to cause trouble, there will come a time when shifters will no longer be unknown to the rest of the world. We have to prepare for that. And that will mean that our mates will live in danger.”
Tomas got that. “Prejudice and bias are everywhere so that is understandable.”
“Fucked up, but understandable,” Diego added from beside him. “I would like to think that the people in the world could be a little more understanding, but I’ve seen too much of it to know it’s not. And what’s more, it is mostly born out of ignorance.”
“So we raise our pups to know better, and to treat people better,” Trent
said.
“But with the ability to fight and protect what is our way of life if needed,” Ty said fiercely.
They were quiet for a moment, the surrounding chatter continuing, but the four of them sat with their thoughts.
After a while, Trent said, “Ty and I talk a lot about what life was like before we had Faith in our lives.”
“The second time,” Ty said.
Trent grinned and nodded. “Yes, the second time. When she was still lost to us and we thought she was forever, the world seemed a darker place. Our mate was gone, and our friends had yet to find theirs. Then, when we least expected it, we got our Faith back from that fucker Parks and back in our lives. Then along came Lucy, then Cassadee, Rowena and Angel arrived together, Xanthe, despite living in the town for a while, needed Hunter and Dane to find her, and then thanks to her, Melaina, Parris, and Pepper arrived shortly after that. Our pack is made stronger by every mating and every partnership that begins. Strong alone, but stronger together. That is what Grey River is and always has been.”
Chapter Thirteen
Tomas grinned as Pepper talked a mile a minute in the truck ride home. It was obvious that their mate had a great time, and from the hugs, smiles, laughs, and promises to do it all again soon when every left, he figured it was going to be a regular thing.
“Cassadee makes the best drinks,” Pepper said for what had to be the fifth time since they climbed into the truck. “That’s not to say that AJ and Sam don’t, it’s just that she manages to get the mix exactly right. Did I tell you about the mango-flavored one?”
Diego laughed. “Yeah you did, cariño, but you told the story about it so adorably, I want to hear it again.”
Pepper giggled and snuggled a little closer to Tomas as his brother drove them home. “She said the secret was in the use of real fresh mangoes, and I gotta tell you, they were divine.”
Diego turned into their drive, and Tomas felt a wave of contentment roll over him, and he realized that it came from Pepper.
“Home,” she whispered.
Tomas hugged her tighter and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Yeah, baby, we’re home.”
He climbed out of the truck and held his hand out to their mate. When Pepper slid across the bench seat toward him, he pulled her up and into his arms. She clung to him, laughing as he carried her up the steps to the porch. Diego unlocked the door, and when he pushed it open, he caught Tomas’s gaze. The symbolism of the act was not lost on either of them, and it was not surprising that they were both on the same page. She was their lover, she was their mate, and she would one day be their wife.
Diego walked past them and rather than heading for the stairs that led up to the bedrooms, he headed straight out through the sliding doors in the living area to the backyard. Tomas’s smile turned wicked when he followed and saw his brother taking the cover off the Jacuzzi.
“You up for a little dip, my love?” he murmured against Pepper’s ear.
She turned to look around her and spotted Diego pulling out some towels from the storage compartment beneath the daybed that sat beside it. “Yeah, but I don’t have a swimsuit.”
Diego grinned as he pulled his shirt off. “Pepper, the rules in this particular house, when it is just the three of us, is swimsuits are optional.”
Pepper giggled, and Tomas set her on her feet on the deck. He leaned in for a quick openmouthed kiss before he tugged her T-shirt up and over her head, setting it aside carefully. He left her bra on while he tackled her jeans, and she toed off the shoes she wore. In no time at all, his mate stood before him wearing a black lace bra and pantie set.
“Damn, Pepper,” he murmured as he ran his hands down her sides, ensuring that his thumbs slid over the hardening peaks of her breasts. “Look at you, baby. So fucking beautiful.”
Tomas turned her slightly so that she faced a now naked Diego, and while his brother stripped her of her underwear, Tomas removed his own clothes as fast as he could. Just as Diego was helping Pepper over the side of the tub, Tomas climbed in form the other side to guide her into the water, then into his arms.
“Wow, the water feels fantastic.” Pepper sighed as she settled down into the tub, leaning back against Tomas’s chest.
“When we were looking at a place to lease, this hot tub sold the place for us,” he said as he tightened his arms around her.
“It must be great in the winter,” Pepper said in a dreamy tone.
“We pictured you here with us from the moment we signed the papers,” Diego admitted as he settled on the seat across from them and tugged Pepper’s legs up into his lap. “In fact, I have had many a wet dream over these last months that featured you in exactly this position.”
Tomas watched as Diego lifted her lower body so that she floated to the top of the water, her legs bent at the knees and spread wide. Every creamy, delectable inch of her rose to the surface of the water.
“R-really?” Pepper said in a voice that sounded breathless.
Tomas reached around and cupped her breasts where they were now thrust above the waterline. “Hell yeah, niña. I don’t think there is a more beautiful sight in this world for a man than to have his mate spread out before him, completely at his mercy for him to watch, touch.” He squeezed her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, and she groaned.
“And sure as hell to taste,” Diego growled and then lowered his head between her legs.
Tomas slid his shoulder beneath her neck and held on to Pepper as she arched back.
“Oh, my lord!” she cried out, and Tomas started a steady rhythm on her breasts, loving the way she trembled against him. He could hear his brother’s growls and knew he was giving their mate exactly what she needed.
“Oh, he is, Diego,” Pepper said down their link. “It feels so good.”
“You taste so fucking sweet,” Tomas added. The link that connected the three of them filled with arousal and sharp pleasure, but it was difficult to tell which one it came from when all three were no doubt feeling it.
“He’s wanted to get his mouth on you since last night,” Tomas whispered against Pepper’s neck.
Diego groaned. “Longer,” he said down their link. “From the moment I smelled your arousal, I have longed for the taste of it in my mouth and the feel of you submitting completely to me on my tongue. The reality is far more addictive than even I had imagined. I can see many hours of our future spent exactly like this, cariño.”
Pepper suddenly arched up slightly out of the water and screamed her release to the world. Diego cursed down their link. Tomas placed his mouth on Pepper’s neck and sucked on the sensitive skin. He could hear and feel her cries of completion and had to fight hard not to join her. After a while, when she slumped between them, breathing heavily, Diego allowed her legs to slide back into the water, and Tomas helped her to roll forward and cuddle into his brother’s chest.
From the sated but shell-shocked look on Diego’s face, he was just as awestruck with their mate he was. “She tastes amazing, doesn’t she?” Tomas asked knowing what his brother’s answer will be.
Diego sighed. “Like the most amazing wine, but with a spice unique to our mate.”
Tomas nodded, and the memory of when he had been the one to sample their mate the night before had him reaching for his cock beneath the water, gripping tight at the base to keep from coming.
“Mmm,” Pepper practically purred and looked back at him over her shoulder. “I can see your memories of last night, Tomas. I find them just as arousing.” Pepper shocked him then by moving to stand in front of Diego, arching her back and presenting herself to him in all her naked gorgeous glory. “Will you make love to me, Tomas? I want to feel you inside me again, so much I ache.”
* * * *
Pepper kept her expression open, and her gaze locked firmly to Tomas. When his smile came, it was sinful and had Pepper’s heart racing.
“Hell yes,” Tomas said as he stood up, looking so damn hot with the water sluicing off his body, his cock standin
g tall and erect as he stepped closer to her. “I need that just as much as you do, niña.”
While Pepper watched, Tomas ran a finger down her back entrance, and she groaned at the sensation. “I will take you here one day soon,” Tomas murmured as his gaze remained locked to her back entrance. “You will have Diego in your pussy, and I will take you here. And from the way you shiver when I touch you here, you are going to fucking love it.”
Pepper shivered at the thought had having both men at once. She’d taken both separately, and even had Diego in her mouth, but she wanted what he described. A lot. Pepper turned back to her other mate and met his gaze from beneath lowered lashes. “Last night you deprived me of something.” From the way Diego’s eyes flared with heat, he knew exactly what she was referring to. “Will you let me pleasure you that way now, mate?”
Diego growled and practically leaped up and out of the water to sit on the side of the pool. “Never have to ask, cariño.” Pepper loved how their wolves colored their tones whether aroused. “Anything you want, it’s yours.”
Pepper moved so that she could rest her upper body on Diego’s thighs, and the position placed her in the perfect position to take him cock into her mouth. Which she did immediately, reveling in Diego’s cursed shout and the way his fingers wound into her hair and tightened.
“Jesus, mother of God,” Diego groaned as Pepper began to work him with her mouth, taking her cues from the way he moved against her. She loved pleasuring her men almost as much as she adored what they did to her.
She felt the blunt head of Tomas’s cock pressing against her for a brief moment before he slipped inside her. She held herself still, taking every inch he had, both of them moaning when he slid to the hilt within her.
“So tight,” Tomas said against her shoulder, and she felt the press of his teeth against her skin, making her shiver.