There's Something About Werewolves: Seven Brides for Seven Shifters, Book 1

by Thalia Eames

  Lennox and Nox whipped around. “What happened, Dad?” Nox asked. “You sick?”

  Garrett scratched his ear and judiciously examined the lake. “Nah. I’m good, son. Just releasing some tension.”

  Nox looked at him like he’d never been more embarrassing and dragged Lennox farther ahead. Turncoat.

  Garrett now had the indisputable facts laid out. Time for the breakdown: The thought of being forced to present his son’s wolfen education to Ian for inspection pissed him off. Nevertheless he’d agreed to it. He really hadn’t had a choice. Second, he couldn’t touch Lennox again. Not when he wanted the four of them to be the unconventional family he dreamed of. If Dad and Aunt Lennox made with the monkey sex, it would complicate the situation to shit. Because of his principles, he and Lennox could never be more than best friends and fuck buddies. He hated putting it so crass but there wasn’t room in his heart for anything else.

  Finally, Anderson G. Westlake knew exactly what he wanted. As always, the choice boiled down to recognizing the sacrifice and making it. In this case he’d have to keep his desires far away from Lennox in order to keep her in Nox’s life.

  Lennox split off when they reached the backyard and mumbled something about a hot shower as she entered the house through the side door to the East Wing. Garrett mentioned Nox should shower too. The boy mumbled something incomprehensible and disappeared into the four-car garage on the opposite side of the property. That kid didn’t bathe unless forced, typically after he’d reached a stink to rival a garbage heap baking in the summer sun. Garrett grinned; teenaged boys were a nasty bunch.

  When he got inside he took his own advice. He considered a cold shower but opted for hot water and steam, along with his two steady girlfriends of the last decade—Thumbelina and Palmetta—combined with a heaping dollop of liquid body soap. Once he’d gotten his raging erection down to half-mast, he dressed and went off to find Lennox. Damn, he’d become a serious glutton for punishment. Hadn’t he just jerked off to put her out of his mind?

  Thinking about baseball didn’t work to calm his lust. Hell, all the imagery of bats and balls just made him want to hit a homerun deep into Lennox’s ballpark. He slapped his own forehead, exhaling slowly.

  Perhaps the various paintings lining the west-wing hallway would take his mind off Lennox. Art tended to transport him, and Cash had shipped in a collection of Mark Rothko pieces from the house in Big Sur. Focusing on the blocks of color as they faded in and out of one another helped to relax him as he stepped into his spacious living room and stopped short. Despite the calming effect of the paintings on him, there seemed to be no escape from raging hormones in the Westlake household today.

  Cash stood with the front door open. On the other side of the threshold Juliana, or Jules—to use Lennox’s nickname for her friend—blinked up at the retired stuntman. She had to be three foot two. Okay, he’d exaggerated but he’d give her less than two feet over that. When Cash didn’t move to invite Jules in she tossed her long wavy hair with the dyed blue streak over her shoulder. Cash might be in trouble. Jules reminded him of that Latina pop star everybody loved and she had an air of sass Garrett knew his friend couldn’t resist.

  Jules sighed. “Are you going to let me in or keep staring at me like I’m steak?”

  “I don’t eat steak,” Cash said, but didn’t budge.

  The dark-haired, dark-eyed bombshell did a subtle double take. “Are you saying you plan to eat me?”

  Although Garrett couldn’t see Cash’s face he heard the determination in his friend’s voice when Cash nearly purred the words. “Oh, most definitely.”

  Jules gave him a glare that rivaled Lennox’s Sith Lord stare down. Garrett decided to step in before Cash committed suicide by Jules and sent Garrett on the search for a new assistant. “Careful, Cash. The lady totes a shotgun and shoots off more than her mouth.”

  Cash turned with a questioning look on his face. Garrett nodded, confirming his shotgun comment. Cash refocused on Jules. “We don’t allow guns,” he gruffed.

  True enough, in deference to their pasts Cash and Garrett had a no-guns policy, but Garrett winced anyway. Jules wasn’t packing at the moment. Cash had no good reason to rile the woman up—unless he had motives Garrett couldn’t readily see.

  Jules shouldered her way past the impromptu doorman, her curvy body brushing across his front. “Good thing I’m not under your authority,” she said. “Otherwise we might have a problem.”

  Cash let her go without comment but when his gaze met Garrett’s he grinned. That fool had wanted Jules to push past him for the body-to-body contact it caused. Garrett swallowed a laugh so Jules wouldn’t think he condoned such bad behavior. Clearly every male in the house had regressed to teenage versions of themselves. The women of LuPines, North Carolina, were deadly on the libido.

  “Lennox?” Jules asked, stopping in front of Garrett.

  He gestured with his thumb. “To your right, down the hallway, first door on the right.”

  “Thanks,” she said, heading in the direction he’d pointed out. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder. “And thanks for taking care of her, Garrett.” She smiled, the expression imperfect enough to be totally captivating and absolutely gorgeous. Yep, Cash had come face-to-face with a form of trouble custom made for him. Jules continued to smile. “You might redeem yourself yet, big guy.”

  He didn’t have an answer. She didn’t wait for one. Cash came to stand beside him and watched her walk away. “Jules,” he called out to her.

  She turned for a second time. Cash fixed her with that fallen angel concentration of his. Garrett had seen women turn into strawberry jam under that gaze, all pink blushes and quivers. Jules stood her ground and waited.

  “I’ve got a bad leg,” Cash said, tapping his right knee.

  “So?” she asked.

  “So, I can’t chase you. You’re going to come to me.”

  Her dark wavy hair tossed over the opposite shoulder this time. “At the risk of sounding cliché. Don’t hold your breath, Lucifer.”

  Garrett covered his mouth. Jules had picked up on Cash’s fallen angel good looks the same as most other women. She just didn’t count his prettiness as a positive.

  Cash scoffed. “I used to be a stuntman, doll. I can hold my breath for a ridiculously long time.”

  Jules didn’t seem moved by the confession. She rolled her eyes and continued to Lennox’s room, muttering a string of curse words as blue as the streak in her hair.

  “And just so you know,” Cash said softly, “challenge accepted.”

  The brunette bombshell’s steps faltered almost imperceptivity but Garrett picked up on the stutter in her stride. He reassessed. Maybe Jules was the one in trouble. Cash never lost a challenge.

  The moment the object of Cash’s affection disappeared into Lennox’s room Gran poked her head out of the door on the opposite side of the hallway. “Psst,” she said, beckoning to Garrett while keeping an eye on her granddaughter’s door.

  What now? Garrett shuddered to think of what other bad news Gran might need to confess. He jogged to her room. She waved him in and closed the door behind them. Gran gripped his arms, her thin fingers bit into his muscles in her urgency.

  “Lennox told me to get packed so we can leave,” she whispered.

  Garrett stiffened. “Where are you going?”

  The elder Averdeen threw her arms in the air. “How should I know? I think she’s planning on having Jules take us to a hotel.”

  “How is she going to pay for that?”

  Again Gran shrugged. “Maybe she’s going to sell something. What if she plans to reenact the movie Pretty Woman and become a prozzie?” Gran gestured wildly. “Desperate women do stupid things.”

  “Get serious, Gran.” He folded his arms over his chest.

  “I am serious, Garrett.” She grabbed both his arms. “We can’t stay
with Jules. Her apartment is a Tic Tac box. And Leni won’t stay at Ian’s because she’s afraid she’ll give him some nookie if the temptation presents itself.”

  Garrett growled. Gran jumped. He recollected himself. “I’m sorry,” he said, hugging her.

  The thought of Lennox staying with Ian at Somerfield Vineyards made him want to break something. He wouldn’t allow it. Lennox could fight him all she wanted but he’d be cremated and scattered before he let her sleep in any of the Somerfield Vineyard bedrooms. If given easy access Mr. Chuckles would dive into her panties faster than you could say jackrabbit slim. Since Garrett had no plans on wearing an orange jumpsuit and doing the death row shuffle, he needed to keep Lennox with him so he wouldn’t have to kill Ian.

  He kissed Gran on the temple. “You don’t want to leave, do you?”

  She shook her head. “No, I like being here with you and Nox. And honestly I’m hoping to catch Cash coming out of the shower naked one morning. I can’t do that at Ian’s.”

  Nothing Gran said surprised him anymore. Lennox had a good reason for calling her grandmother “crazy lady”.

  “I’ll do you a favor and text you when he gets in from rehab tomorrow,” Garrett said. “That’s the only day you can time his showers.”

  Gran bopped him on the shoulder. “You’re better than peach pie and brandy, Garrett.”

  “Whoa,” he said, “don’t go hitting me with your bare hand.” She drew back to bop him again. He threw up his hands. “I’m saying you should check the middle drawer of your dresser.”

  The look she gave him said if he’d set her up for a practical joke, he’d end up regretting it. She went over to her dresser and paused. After squaring her shoulders and bracing herself she pulled the draw open. Her squeal of delight went straight to his heart. She held up her new red umbrella with a duck-head handle and twirled it. As thanks she ran over and gave him a good wallop with her gift. In return he grinned like she’d kissed him full on the mouth.

  “Are you ready, Gran?” Lennox walked in on them without knocking. She stopped, took one look at them, and knew exactly what had happened. “If you wanted to stay here, you should’ve told me, Grandma.”

  Gran pursed her lips. “Don’t say grandma like it’s a curse word. You’re the one acting crazy and erratic.” She punctuated each word with a stab of her umbrella.

  “Losing all your money, getting a concussion, and having to deal with…” Lennox gestured at Garrett and gasped, “…with that would make anyone crazy.”

  “I’m not a that,” Garrett intoned.

  The dig made Gran particularly peevish. “That’s right. He’s not a that. He’s the man you—”

  “Fine,” Lennox screamed. “You stay. I’ll go.” She gesticulated wildly. “Everybody does whatever the hell they want to anyway. I’m the only one playing by the rules. Well, my good-girl days are over.” She slammed out of the room. Gran whipped out behind her with Garrett following.

  “Don’t you get huffy with me, hussy.”

  Lennox stalked down the hallway full speed. “I’m sorry,” she yelled louder. Gran stopped to lean on the wall. Garrett patted her back to soothe her. Gran’s lungs were doing more wheezing than breathing. She’d gotten old while Garrett wasn’t looking. She’d recently suffered smoke inhalation too. He couldn’t let her get overexcited.

  “I’ve got this, Gran. Go lie down and relax.”

  She whirled on him. Garrett rubbed her arms. “I’m not telling you what to do. I’m just worried about you. Plus, I think I have a better chance of getting Lennox to stay if we talk one on one.”

  Gran nodded, allowing him to escort her to the bed. After tucking her in for a nap he headed out in search of her wild-child granddaughter.

  He found Lennox in the living room saying her goodbyes to Cash and Nox. Although his son never cried he looked as though he might start at any moment. Garrett growled. The sound echoed across the room. Before anyone could say a word he stalked over to Lennox, grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her into his office. If she protested or even resisted, he didn’t notice. Lennox might be able to out arm-wrestle most wolfen but Garrett was too amped up to be defied.

  He yanked her past him and spun her into the office. Keeping his eyes on her, he closed the door and turned the lock. They faced off, both of them breathing hard and fast. He couldn’t take much more of this. Everything about her amplified his emotions. He had no self-control when it came to Lennox. He needed to get away from her but he’d be damned if he’d let her go.

  After the adrenaline eased a bit he spoke. “Stay.” She opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off. “I’m asking you to stay.”

  Her voice raised an octave on a wave of incredulity. “After that show of alpha male idiocy you’re asking me to stay?” She emphasized “idiocy” and “asking”.

  Why did women always fixate on the wrong things? He wanted her to stay. That was where her focus should be.

  Time for a redirect.

  “There are a lot of reasons for you to stay. Not the least of which, if you go, Nox won’t forgive himself for jacking up your life and leaving it on the side of the road.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” she said. Her breathing softened. “Him bringing us back together isn’t his fault. And we don’t need to be in the same house for me to be his godmother. I’m going to be there for him from now on.”

  Oh shit, she hadn’t figured out Nox burned her house down yet. And Garrett sure as hell wasn’t going to shine a light on the fact. She walked over and plopped into one of the armchairs surrounding a small conference table. “I don’t know how it happened so fast but I love that kid, absolutely adore him. I’m not going anywhere.” On a glance at Garrett she clarified. “I mean, as far as Nox is concerned.”

  Garrett nodded. He made his way to the row of windows facing the front lawn. “What if I say I like having you and Gran here as much as Nox does?” He glanced at her over a shoulder. She didn’t twitch. He looked back out the window.

  “I miss feeling like a complete family.” He exhaled, slowly. “But let’s keep the focus on you. You need a safe place, somewhere that works without you having to run it. After all the craziness you’ve had to deal with these last three days you need the respite.” He turned and leaned against the sill. “You can rest here. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She thought it over for a moment; her expression reflected the war waging inside her. Garrett had no idea which side of her won the battle but after a few moments she stood and crossed the room to stand in front of him. “Are you going to finish what you started this morning?”

  He didn’t like the look on her face. His instinct prickled, telling him he’d fallen into a rival predator’s trap. “No,” he finally answered. “I’ll stay away from your bedroom.”

  A deceptively soft sigh escaped her parted lips. She closed the distance between them to less than two feet. “That’s the problem, Garrett. Deep down in places I don’t talk about at parties, I want you to do it again.” She stepped forward, cutting the space between them in half. “I need you to do it again.”

  Under other circumstances he’d have smiled when she quoted A Few Good Men, one of their favorite movies. Any other time they’d have laughed and exchanged lines back and forth. Not today. Not now that he’d pushed her too far. Not when the seductive scent of her desire called to him and he wanted to answer so badly. “I can’t, Lennox. We’re born once, die once, and marry once—”

  “Because you believe we only truly fall in love once. I know your philosophy, Garrett. I also know how much you wanted me this morning. I heard you moan.”

  He couldn’t deny it so said nothing.

  She stepped closer and smoothed her palms over his tense stomach muscles. He froze. She slid her splayed hands slowly down his abdomen, over the front of his thighs and lower, until her thumbs skimmed the sides of his hardening cock. He growled
her name in warning. She responded by taking the slow slide of her hands on a seductive trip up.

  “You want it as much as I do, Anderson G. Westlake. Admit it.”

  Tension stretched taut between them. Garrett had no intention of answering. If he knew Lennox at all, his silence would unnerve her and she’d back down. But the Lennox he knew had changed. Instead of shying away she manned up.

  Garrett stared powerlessly down at her hands when the button of his jeans flipped open. His zipper followed, the sound of the zip lowering turned anticipation into torture. Pushing his fly apart, Lennox pressed her hand against the hard length of his desire and continued stroking down to cup his balls. Again he cursed himself for pushing her too far. She leaned into him and sighed.

  Garrett closed his eyes, giving in to the pleasure of her hands on him. He wanted this. He did but… Damn her. The only weapon he had left, the acid edge of his anger, lashed out at her.

  “Get your hands off my dick, Lennox.” He snarled with enough vehemence to send most people running.

  “No,” she said, wrapping her hands around him like he wasn’t wearing underwear at all. “Your dick seems to want me even if you don’t.” She stroked her thumb over his tip. “I’ll do my negotiating with it instead of you.”

  “Fuck.” He breathed the word out, then firmly grasped her shoulders and set her away from him. That done, he scrubbed a hand over the freshly shaven line of his jaw and forced himself to remember the reasons Lennox was off limits. Most of all he thought about the betrayal to his wife. Sex didn’t matter much. He’d had sex with a few women since Tina died. He’d admit it hadn’t been often because most women didn’t do it for him when compared to what he’d had with his wife, but he’d definitely had his baser needs taken care of. Sex had become a matter of maintenance, a stress reliever.

  Garrett refused to waste the time or energy it’d take to convince himself intimacy with Lennox would count as sex. With her, it’d be an honest expression of affection turned to pure sensuality. Not only would sexing Lennox be infidelity to Tina’s memory, he wouldn’t be able to stop at one night. He’d crave Lennox in as many ways as illustrated in the Kama Sutra and he’d add a few extras along the way. In the doing and screwing he’d defile his principles and, when their affair ended, it’d destroy his son’s best chance at a mother’s love.