Jackson's Rise

by Tielle St Clare

  Must be nice, she thought with a sigh. If she ate half that, she wouldn’t be fit into her costumes for a week.

  She took a few bites and let them make small gouges in their food piles before she asked the question again.

  “Mark me?” she finally said. “What does that mean?”

  Jackson tensed next to her but didn’t say anything. Reign took a bite of his omelet and finally answered.

  “It means that you’ll have my scent on you. Like Jackson said, these people have very strong senses, primarily sense of smell. If my scent is on you, they’ll know you belong to me.”

  “You’re kidding right?” She looked at Jackson. He shook his head. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but how do you put your scent on me?”

  “By touching you.”

  “Touching me,” she repeated. She glanced at Jackson. He had his head bent down, concentrating on his food. She didn’t know if he was angry or trying to keep out of the conversation completely.

  “Yes.” Reign opened his mouth like he was going to speak, stopped then started again. “Sex is the best way.”

  Jackson’s head snapped up and a low snarl rumbled from his throat. Reign didn’t react. He met her stare with blatant hunger in his eyes.

  Dani squirmed. Images of her in bed with Reign filled her brain. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought of it before. Maybe it was Jackson’s presence or the fact that she’d been fucked into oblivion last night but today the pictures in her head seemed real. She could feel his hands on her skin, his lips on hers.

  She took a soothing breath and ignored the heat moving through her pussy. And tried not to think about her nipples pressing through her thin bra and into her shirt. Jackson’s eyes glowed, as if he knew she was soaking the ugly panties he’d wanted to her wear.

  The fire in her sex spread through her body. Her mouth opened, just a little, letting in more air, her body desperate for the oxygen which seemed to have gone missing. Too hard to breathe. The pictures slammed into her brain, relentless. Her and Reign. And Jackson. Male bodies surrounding her. One beneath her, the other behind her, both males penetrating her. Fucking her. The strong sexuality of Jackson balanced by the animal lust of Reign.

  “You three want anything else?” The pop of the waitress’s gum yanked Dani from her fantasy and she automatically shook her head. Neither man answered. The other woman shrugged and slapped the bill on the table.

  Once she’d walked away, Dani forced more air into her lungs, calming herself and focusing on what Reign had truly said.

  “You aren’t really expecting us to have sex, right?” Please. Yes. No.

  He shook his head but there was a glint of a smile in his eyes. “Unfortunately, no. I don’t expect you to agree to that.” He glanced at Jackson almost daring him to interrupt. “But it needs to be skin on skin contact,” Reign continued. “As naked as you’ll let both of us be.”

  She gulped her warming ice water and thought about what Reign said. It made no sense.

  She put down her spoon and stared Reign down.

  “You want me to rub up against you so people can smell you on me? You realize how insane this sounds, right?”

  Reign’s head moved in what could be called a nod but there was no commitment to the movement.

  She looked in Jackson’s eyes. “You don’t have anything to say about this?” She expected some protest from the man she’d spent the night with. He’d said he was jealous of Reign but when the man starts talking about getting naked with her, Jackson says nothing.

  “I hate the idea, but I agree with Reign that if you’re going to that party, you need to have his—and my—” Another pointed glance to Reign. “Scent on you. I don’t trust these people but they usually have the sense not to go after something that clearly belongs to a stronger animal.”

  She gulped at the term “animal”. That’s how it sounded. Like when a cat marked its territory.

  “It will make tonight much more safe.”

  If Jackson hadn’t been sitting there, she would have dismissed it as a joke. Or that Reign was trying to get into her pants this way. But Jackson seemed to believe, even agree with, everything Reign said.

  She looked from man to man. There was no hint of humor, not a twitch of lips trying not to smile. They were freakin’ dead serious about this.

  And neither of them seemed inclined to share any more information. Later she was getting some answers. Like who these people were at the party and how could they smell the remnants of skin touching skin?

  She sighed. “When do we do this?”

  It was subtle but she saw Reign’s jaw relax, like he’d been worried she’d reject the idea or decide to bail on the whole project.

  “Tonight, before the party. I’ll make the arrangements for a car and come by your place about eight.”

  She nodded. Her insides trembled, a strange mass of fear and lust—which hadn’t dissipated even through the strangely clinical discussion about Reign putting his “scent” on her. Jackson seemed to recognize the jumbled emotions and rubbed his hand across her thigh. There was little sex in this touch. More comfort.

  “You’re going to be there too?” she asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Reign but Jackson was so solid she wanted him there.

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe,” Reign corrected. He looked at Jackson and there was that weird silent communication between them. Neither man moved and Dani was about to speak, something to break the tension before the two of them started breaking dishes. Then Reign announced, “We’ll talk about it.”

  When I’m not here. This whole protective, macho guy crap is getting a little annoying. She shook her head, irritation making it difficult to find phrases that didn’t start with “listen assholes—” Her gaze caught the clock on the wall.

  “Oh, damn. I’m going to be late. I’ve got to go.” She nudged Jackson with her knee. Rehearsal started in twenty minutes. She waved her hands, hurrying him up. He looked a little offended then slid out of the booth. She hooked her heel over the end of the bench and pulled her body down into the aisle. Jumping up, she kissed Jackson on the cheek. “I’ve got to get to work.” Then she included Reign in her stare. “Figure this out for tonight, but I’d really like Jackson there. If it won’t, you know, get me killed or anything.”

  “We won’t let anything happen to you,” Reign vowed. The intensity in his words soothed some of Dani’s fears.

  “He’s right.” Jackson put his arm around her and cuddled her closer. Her body reacted, molding to his, wanting to be pressed against him, without their clothes. “Hmm.” Jackson rubbed his cheek against her head. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll take care of you.” Neither the movement nor the words were sexual but that didn’t stop her body from responding, heat sinking into her pussy and the desire to climb him like a stripper’s pole almost too much to ignore. He bent down so his lips were against her ear. “When you get back from rehearsal, baby.” This time his words were pure sex and she had no doubt about his meaning. “As soon as you get back.”

  She lifted her head and smiled. If nothing else, this lust was distracting her from her fears about the party. And the party was distracting her from the lust. Great, she was just a big ole mess.

  “I should go.” Another quick kiss to Jackson and she forced her legs to carry her out the door. She had work to do.

  Jackson watched her walk away. Men and women stopped and watched as she passed by, the sweet flip of her ass too intriguing to ignore. The human male in him wanted to jump up on the table and pound his chest, declaring that she belonged to him and challenging any male who wanted to even look at her. The wolf, strangely, had a different reaction. The animal whined when she left, but it wasn’t jealousy or fear. The wolf was confident that she belonged to him. Jackson did a quick scan of the wolf’s reactions in the past few minutes and while the animal hadn’t been serene, he’d felt safe, even sitting across from a Cat.

  Made no sense. Jackson sighed. But he’d never complete
ly understood his wolf.

  The door closed behind Dani and she walked by the window, waving as she headed toward her car. Once out of sight, Jackson swung around and sat back down, facing the Cat who was still plowing through his breakfast. Jackson followed suit. Despite their differences of opinion about the party tonight, they both needed to eat.

  They ate in silence. Jackson tried to ignore the spicy male scent that came from the Cat. The smell of the cooked meat on his plate was enticing but part of his hunger came from the desire to bite the man across from him.

  It was strange. Not necessarily that he was attracted to a guy—he’d had those feelings before—but the fact that Reign was a Cat. Jackson had met a few Cats in his day and he’d never found their smell remarkable. It hadn’t been offensive but never before had he had the urge to lick another’s skin to see if the intriguing spice translated into taste. His cock gave an insistent twitch.

  Oh good. His dick was trying to join the conversation.

  Wasn’t this perfect? His friend Gideon, back home in Anchorage, would think it was fucking hysterical. For much of the past year, Gideon had teased Jackson about his sexual orientation, swearing that Gideon’s “gaydar” was going off like crazy. In truth, Jackson knew Gideon was just trying to get into his pants but still he couldn’t deny the attraction to some males. He’d never acted on it. The attraction had never been intriguing enough to pursue.

  Now he’d found a male who his cock really wanted and he had to be a Cat and a bit of an asshole to boot. Perfect.

  And even better, what Reign really wanted was to fuck Dani.

  Finally Jackson had enough and pushed his plates away. It was time to move on with the conversation. Reign followed suit moments later. Jackson sipped his coffee and waited. This was the pussycat’s show as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t changing his mind. He was going to that party tonight.

  Reign drained his water glass then set it on the table with a firm click. That seemed to be the opening shot.

  “You can’t go to this party tonight.”

  “I’m going.” This wasn’t defiance or irritation. He wasn’t going to let Dani go to that party without double protection.

  “You can’t. They’ll kill you. Literally.”

  “How uncivilized,” Jackson mocked.

  “Exactly. I don’t know what wolf gatherings are like but Cats? They’ll tear you to pieces.”

  “If I don’t go, Dani’s not going.”

  “Fuck, Jackson, you’re worse than your brother.” Reign sagged back against the leather cushions. “I’ll be there. I’ll protect her. Trust me. That’s a hell of a lot safer than a wolf showing up at a Clowder.”

  Jackson played with his coffee cup for a moment. “I believe you’re sincere about protecting Dani, I really do.” He could at least give the Cat that. “But what happens once she points this guy out? Are you really going to just walk away? Let him walk away?”

  Reign turned his head, looking at the dingy tile on the floor.

  “Face it. If you have a chance to catch this bastard, you’re going after him. And what will you do with Dani?”

  “Fine. I’ll have one of my friends look after her. I’ll have one of the other cops come.”

  “A human?”

  “Better than a wolf. A fight will break out the minute you step on the floor. It would never work.” Reign shook his head. Then made a puffing noise like a chuckle suppressed deep in his chest.

  “What’s funny?”

  “Oh, I just thought of a way you could attend the Clowder and maybe not get killed.” The Cat’s eyes sparkled with undisguised glee and Jackson felt his gut clench.

  Whatever was going on in Reign’s mind, Jackson wasn’t going to like it, but what the hell? If it got him into the party and protected Dani, he’d do it.

  “What is it?”

  Again Reign shook his head. “Shouldn’t have even brought it up. It’s not going to happen, so just forget about it.”

  “What is it?”

  The smirk on Reign’s mouth wasn’t comforting as he leaned forward, reaching almost to Jackson’s side of the table. “You could probably go in…” He let his words trail away. “As my lover.”

  “What?” Jackson jerked back. Had Reign seen Jackson’s interest?

  Reign’s smirk turned into an all out, arrogant “gotcha” grin. Smug bastard.

  “That’s the only way. If you walk in there marked with my scent then the other Cats would be curious but they probably wouldn’t touch you.” He grimaced. “My reputation would be shot—for fucking a dog—but I can live with that.”

  Jackson considered the idea. Reign clearly expected him to balk, to reject the idea as he ran for the door. But Dani wanted to go to this party, wanted to point this asshole out, do her part. And Jackson knew he needed to be there.

  Besides, it would be kind of fun to call the Cat’s bluff.

  And you’d get a chance to have that hot body against yours. Oh, good. His conscience had to join into the conversation. But once the image came to mind, he couldn’t let it go—him in bed, naked, his cock rubbing against Reign’s, hard masculine hands squeezing his ass as they pumped against each other. His fingers curled into a fist. He shook head his trying to clear the fantasy but before it disappeared, the mental movie changed and Dani was there, her body behind his, her tits teasing his back, her wet pussy pressed against his ass.

  He groaned.

  Reign chuckled. “Yeah, I didn’t figure you’d go for that, so, I’ll take Dani—”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “What?” All expression left Reign’s face.

  Jackson was rather proud of himself that he didn’t smile at shocking the Cat.

  “I said I’ll do it.”

  “You’ll go as my lover?”

  “Yeah. You need to mark me, I can handle that.” I think. He was just going to have to find a way to hide his body’s response. Somehow he didn’t think Reign was going to appreciate Jackson’s hard-on.

  “You’re serious,” Reign said.

  “Yes. Were you?”

  “Sure.”

  “Fine.”

  Jackson stared at Reign, who stared back. He couldn’t even imagine what the other male was thinking. His own mind had slowed down until one single thought filled his brain—what the fuck have I done?

  Chapter Eight

  Dani fiddled with the sandwich Jackson had made for her, knowing she needed to eat but unable to put anything in her mouth without her stomach rebelling.

  The day had been a total goat rope. Rehearsal had sucked. The director had been late, then pissy. And then because he kept changing things and they were less than a week away from opening, they’d called another rehearsal. Instead of being home at five for a nice leisurely round of hot sex with Jackson before Reign showed up, she’d walked in at eight twenty. Both men waiting for her, her hair still damp from her shower at the theater.

  She sighed and tried to wrap her tired mind around what was next.

  “You okay, baby?” Jackson asked, rubbing his hand across her shoulders. She leaned into his hip, needing the physical support, and nodded. She would be okay. She’d just been thinking about this all day long. When she wasn’t thinking about sex. Between the fear and the lust, her body was a complete mess, not sure how to react.

  She scraped her hair away from her face. “I’m fine.” She looked at Reign. “Let’s just do this, huh?”

  He nodded and Jackson stood back, giving her room to stand.

  She looked at him as she started toward the stairs. “Are you going to be there? I mean here?” She wasn’t sure which she wanted. Did she want her current lover watching while another man touched her? Or would it be better if he wasn’t around?

  Jackson shook his head and a self-mocking smile moved his lips. “Probably not a good idea.”

  She nodded, the smile easing some of her tension. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

  “I won’t be far, baby,” h
e said as she pulled away.

  Again she nodded, finding it hard to speak. She barely glanced at Reign as she started up the stairs, her body stiff and tight. Each step she mentally shored up her resolve. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this sort of thing before. She wasn’t even going to have sex with Reign. They were just going to touch a bit and hell, she liked Reign. Wanted Reign.

  An awkwardness existed between them. Reign followed her into the bedroom.

  “Are you okay?” Reign asked the question and Dani took a tight breath before nodding. “You don’t have to do this,” he assured her. “We’ll find another way to get this guy.” She knew how much that offer must have cost him.

  That made Dani feel even worse. The fact that she couldn’t describe Winston, couldn’t help the sketch artist, had kept her awake at night.

  “But your best bet is tonight and the only way I can go to this party tonight is if I’m wearing your scent.”

  Reign nodded.

  This time when she breathed in, she forced her lungs to expand and take in the full volume. She could do this. It wasn’t like the idea of touching Reign was appalling. Just the opposite. It was intriguing. Seductive. And maybe that’s what stopped her. She was still trying to adapt to the fact that she’d fucked Jackson last night. After knowing him for less than a day. Despite Jackson’s assurances, it seemed a little slutty.

  And now she was planning to get naked with another man. While her lover waited downstairs.

  Not that Reign was going to fuck her—he’d been very clear about that—but it needed to be skin on skin contact.

  She looked at the gorgeous man before her. His tawny eyes were captivating—not only with the rare color but the heat. Only one other man had looked at her with just blatant hunger. And he was sitting in her living room waiting for her to finish. She shivered just thinking about Jackson. And Reign. Ooh, both of them.

  Her nipples tightened as she imagined being wrapped between them. Temptation sizzled in her stomach.

  She could do this. Think sex Goddess. Think sexy. He wants you. He made that clear.