by E A Price
Ed closed his eyes and willed his wolf to back off.
Jonathan tried to hold back his smirk. “I take it that Kim is off limits, then; you wouldn’t be interested in the same arrangement…”
“No,” growled Ed.
Jonathan nodded and moved to the door. “Does Kim know what happened with Helena?”
Ed’s jaw ticked as his wolf huffed. “Not exactly, she knows about you and Helena…”
“I’m guessing she’s not my biggest fan, then.”
Ed snorted. “She wasn’t even before I told her.”
Jonathan left, and Ed felt uneasy. He should have told Kim about Helena before they arrived; he just hadn’t expected the damn red she-wolf to turn up a family event. So matter how hard she tried, she would never be a part of their family.
He would speak to Olivia about the matter, and see to it that his sister didn’t take it into her head to make this a regular occurrence.
Ed shuddered, and his wolf whined. The thought that he had ever considered marrying Helena made his blood run cold. Shit, he needed to talk to Kim in private before anyone else took it into their head to tell Kim that he was once engaged to Helena. He imagined Kim wouldn’t exactly welcome the news.
Chapter Four
Kim twirled in front of the mirror. Christine had taken Jamie away to play with her boys and Kim, feeling a little travel weary, had taken a nap.
When she’d woken, she found a note from Ed on her pillow telling her he didn’t want to wake her and that she looked like Sleeping Beauty. She wouldn’t have minded if he had woken her. She and her wolf would have been more than happy with a little afternoon delight.
She’d had a quick shower and had slipped on a sundress. She dabbed on some lipstick and unpinned her wild hair. Yep, not bad at all.
She started making her way to the dining room and was surprised to come upon Helena and Kurt, Olivia’s boyfriend, huddled together and in the midst of a whispered argument in the hallway.
Helena straightened up and told Kurt to hush when she saw Kim. Kim moved past them, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. Clearly, Kurt thought they were doing something wrong though, his face was tomato red.
“You’re a fast mover,” sneered Helena at her.
Kim stopped and turned back to her. “Excuse me?”
“You’re here five minutes and you’ve already got the old woman fooled.”
Kim shook her head. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
Helena snorted and pushed passed her. “No, of course you don’t,” she muttered nastily.
Kurt moved away in the other direction as quickly as possible.
Kim’s wolf snarled and snapped at the other female, but Kim couldn’t care less. The red she-wolf was obviously annoyed at losing Ed and jealous that Kim had him. She’d feel the same way if the situation were reversed. Although, there was no way in hell that she would jump into bed with Jonathan. She may have done things in the past that she wasn't proud of, but she would never cheat.
She continued on her way and was relieved to find Ed waiting for her. While his family members were decked out in linen trousers and stuffy shirts, Ed looked like his normal charming self in a pair of board-shorts and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. She was pleased that Ed didn’t act differently around his family.
Ed put his hands on her waist and gave her a lingering kiss. It was pretty tame compared to the things they got up to in private, but Olivia still blushed fire-truck red when she saw them.
Dinner was a mixed affair. Arthur and Jennifer were quiet; they weren’t speaking to one another and could barely manage to speak to anyone else either. Christine kept all the children, including Jamie, occupied and barely paid attention to anyone else. Harold Jr. seemed to be thoroughly annoyed at everyone, but most of his ire was directed at his wife who was ignoring him, and Kim, whom he saw as an interloper. Will sat next to Olivia, maneuvering her boyfriend out the way to get to the seat, and then proceeded to not talk to her throughout the whole dinner.
Kim almost growled as Helena managed to sit next to Ed and fluttered her eyelashes at him constantly. Ed actually did growl when Jonathan wangled a seat next to Kim, and constantly leered at her.
Everyone else was fairly polite and chatty. Jamie was loving hanging around with the young red wolves and all four boys already adored her. The dinner of roast beef was delicious. Kim was surprised that they weren’t eating a traditional Caribbean dish, but Ed whispered that his grandmother was quite rigid about her diet.
After dinner, all the women left the room and for some reason the men stayed behind. Kim found it a little strange; what, exactly, were they hanging back for? What were they going to do? This kind of thing never came up in her house; there was usually only her, Jamie and her mom for dinner, and usually one of them was absent, either by being at work or being at a friend’s house.
Jamie asked permission to go and play with the other kids, and Kim said yes. Olivia said she would watch over them. Marie claimed a headache and took herself off to her room.
Christine sat next to Kim and regarded her steadily. “So you’ve been married before.”
Kim sipped at a glass of water. “Yes, and technically, I still am.” She sucked in a deep breath. “He ran out on us just over four years ago; I don’t know where he is.”
“You never thought to find him and get a divorce?”
Kim shrugged. “I’d never thought about getting remarried…” until she met Ed. In truth, she had considered tracking her ex down numerous times, and she’d also considered beating the bastard to a pulp, and wringing his neck until all the money he owed her squeezed out of him. However, it had been kind of a relief when he left; things had not been good between them. She worried that if she ever found him, he would actually want to come home…
“Hmmm.” Christine watched as Judy sat down and took up some knitting. Helena was trying to engage Jennifer in conversation, but she seemed too tense to listen.
“How did you and Ed meet?”
“Well…”
*
13th September
Kim sighed as she looked at the insolent wolf in front of her. “Get lost, Bryce,” she told him brutally.
Hey, she’d tried being nice but the arrogant wolf wouldn’t take the damn hint.
He sneered at her. “Aren’t you a bit old to be choosy?”
Kim rolled her eyes. She was two years younger than him! “It doesn’t matter how old I am, Bryce, I would never settle for you.”
“You think you’re too good for me? I’d be doing you a favor. Don’t forget, I know where you’ve been. I bet you didn’t give Alec all this trouble.”
Kim let out a small growl as her wolf roared in fury. Bryce was the biggest man-whore in the whole of the pack, having worked his way around every single female wolf that would give him the time of day. Kim wasn’t one of them.
Kim had been more than a little selective about her choice of bed partner since her husband left. She wasn’t open to a new relationship, given how badly her last one ended, and, instead, preferred to find discreet males who would sate her heightened sexual need on the full moon. One of whom was Alec, the pack Beta. Neither wanted to be with the other, and instead just used one another to satiate their increased need. Apparently, Bryce was also looking for a similar arrangement. Over her dead body.
“Either get out of my bar, Bryce, or I will have you removed.”
He snorted and walked away muttering the word ‘bitch.’ Kim sighed; that was it - she was done with her male pack mates. On the full moon she was going to hunt and hunt until she was too exhausted to even move her limbs, never mind even contemplate doing something as strenuous as having sex.
It was hard being a wolf shifter on the full moon. For one thing, just about all wolves were forced to shift; only a handful of older, experienced wolves, and the most disciplined of the pack could manage not to. Kim knew the pack tracker, Don was able to hold off his shift, and wished she possessed the control h
e did. Around the full moon, they also had heightened stamina and libidos, which meant that they either needed to exhaust themselves hunting or find a willing partner to have sex.
Kim possessed quite a lusty beast, and usually found an ideal partner in advance of the full moon. However, on the last full moon she made the mistake of spending the night with a male wolf called Frank who was barely a notch above Bryce on the asshole scale. She’d been horny and desperate, and now she was paying the price. The dickhead was spreading it around about how easy she was, and now she was forced to fend off the none-too-subtle seduction techniques of wolves like Bryce. Never again.
The worst part was that other she-wolves were looking at her like she some kind of harlot. She could see them clutching their males whenever she came close. They honestly thought that she might try and steal their damn mates! It was insulting. If she were a male, no one would give a damn, but because she’s female, she’s immediately painted as a whore!
Kim let out a breath and moved out to the bar. She slapped a smile on her face and started serving customers. After a small face-off with Mal Tanner, a 19-year-old wolf who was trying to buy alcohol, she relaxed a little and surveyed her customers.
She had it on good authority that Alec was trying to impress the plump, young blonde witch talking to Adam, her Alpha. She was glad; Alec had been alone for a long time, and he deserved to be happy. Alec hadn’t arrived yet, so Kim took a moment to study her. But it wasn’t the blonde girl who drew her attention; it was who she was with.
Kim gasped as she caught sight of him, and even her sulky wolf sat up to took notice. The most beautiful man she’d ever seen was laughing and joking with Adam and the blonde girl.
He wasn’t like the males in her pack, who were rough and bulky. He was fairly slim in comparison, but still nicely built, and the lines of his body clearly showed he had nothing to be ashamed of. He was quite angelic looking, with his flawless face, blonde hair and blue eyes. Yep, he’d look right at home lounging around on a cloud with a set of wings. He smiled and laughed and oh, he just lit up the whole room. She felt a nervous stirring within her as her wolf simpered over the male.
Kim took in a deep breath and almost moaned at his scent. It was clear that he was a red wolf, but he also smelled heavenly. It was that delicious fragrance when clean cotton comes out of the dryer…
She laughed and shook her head. Clean clothes? That’s what turned her on? Her wolf huffed in disapproval. The beast thought he smelled divine, and hey, Kim was definitely not arguing.
The young man motioned for another beer and she reddened as she felt her sex moisten and virtually say hello. No, down girl!
Kim grabbed a beer before she melted on the spot and strode down the bar to pass it to him. God, up close he looked young. She guessed she had at least five years on him, maybe more; he could probably still pass for a teenager!
She was pleased to note his eyes dilating as she approached. Age difference or not, she was still a sight to behold. Her beast pranced around at the moony expression on his face. Yeah, no way was he immune to her. In spite of herself, her eyes flicked down and saw that another part of his anatomy was also taking notice. Well, it had almost been a month since she last had sex…
Kim leaned over and passed him the beer. His wide eyes made a long, appraising sweep of her body, and he definitely liked what he saw. He grinned and winked at her; feeling saucy, she winked in return. Her wolf yipped in approval.
Someone else called for service at the other end of the bar, and, reluctantly, she broke away from her handsome stranger. But she made sure to saunter as slowly as she could, wiggling her rear. She heard the young man yelp and bit back a chuckle.
A few seconds later, it all went to hell.
The next thing she knew, there were screams and shouts around the bar, mixed with Alec’s growls. She turned to find Alec trying to strangle her handsome stranger.
Her heart leapt into her chest, and her wolf yowled in panic. Without thinking, she rushed toward them and desperately tried to tug and claw at Alec’s beefy arms. Tears sprang to her eyes in frustration as she struggled to pull him away. Damnit, he was too strong! Her wolf whimpered at seeing the young man choking, and one word kept flashing through her mind. Mate. Oh, god, her mate!
Vaguely, she was aware of the young blonde woman begging Alec to let him go, and thankfully he did. The young man slumped to the floor, wheezing and gasping for breath. Kim went with him and pulled him into her arms, stroking his hair and placing herself in a protective stance in case Alec tried anything else. If the Beta wanted to hurt her mate, he would damn well have to go through her first!
Adam returned to the bar and yelled at Alec to get out, which he duly did.
Mindful of Kim’s fierce gaze, the young woman asked Ed if he was okay. With a surprisingly smug smile, he curled himself further into Kim’s soft, warm body, and told her he’d live. The young woman gave him a half-sour and half-worried look before excusing herself.
Adam came over and checked on the young man. On Kim’s suggestion, they moved him into her office, and Adam went back out to the bar to calm everyone down.
The red wolf relaxed into the ancient, battered couch as Kim inspected his body. She ran her hands over him, just to make sure he was okay, of course. He chuckled, and Kim turned bright red as she accidentally grazed his hard manhood.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed sheepishly.
She stood before him, and he smiled at her. “I’m Ed, by the way,” he said in a croaky voice.
“I’m Kim. Again, I’m sorry; I was just… umm… checking you were okay…” she finished lamely. The fact that Alec hadn’t been anywhere near that part of his body hadn’t entered her thoughts. She just needed to make sure that his delectable body was in working order. Judging by his growing reaction, he was fine.
“Thank you, although I am a little concerned about my neck.” His expression was pouting yet playful, and Kim had to bite back a giggle.
“Then I better take a look,” she murmured, huskily.
His eyes lit up, and his chest heaved as his eyes feasted over her body. She felt a crackle of erotic electricity snap throughout the office. The attraction she felt definitely wasn’t one-sided.
Boldly, she kneeled, one leg on either side of him so she was straddling him. Carefully, she leaned over and gently smoothed her hands over his bruised skin. Her wolf whimpered a little, but Kim shushed her. He was a shifter. He’d heal. Hmmm, maybe she should kiss him better…
She smiled as she saw Ed fixating on her ample breasts. She almost gasped as she felt his hands move to her waist. They stayed there a few moments before snaking their way down to her ass. Kim sat up and looked into his amber infused eyes.
“Fuck, you are so beautiful, Kim,” he breathed with feeling.
Her wolf howled in delight, and Kim pressed her lips to his. He nibbled on her bottom lip, demanding entrance, which was eagerly given. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, crushing her supple body to his as he took her in a searching kiss.
Panting, she pulled back and leaned her forehead against his. Heavens, that was the most unbelievable kiss she’d ever had.
“How soon can I see you again, Kim?” he purred.
“As soon as you can make it back to Rose, Ed.”
*
Present day
Kim related a somewhat edited version of how they met; for example, she completely neglected to mention the part where Kim practically molested him and played down the part where Ed was almost murdered by her Beta. She rubbed her neck. “It was hardly a fairytale meeting.”
Christine raised an eyebrow. “I had an arranged marriage; my father didn’t give me much of a choice. Harold and I met on our wedding day, five minutes before the ceremony. That was hardly a fairytale start either, but we are happy - very happy. Do you think Ed wants to marry you?” she asked bluntly.
Kim flushed bright red. She hoped so, but she certainly wasn’t about to ji
nx it. She opened her mouth to say something non-committal but was cut off by a harrumphing Helena.
Tiring of trying to talk to Jennifer, Helena flounced off the couch. “Good luck with that; Ed is not the marrying type. When we were engaged, I couldn’t even get him to sit down and set a date.”
Kim froze as Helena gave her a pitying yet smug smile and disappeared out of the room. Her wolf snarled at the retreating female while Kim tried to stop herself from howling in anger.
Christine could sense Kim’s unease. “I take it you didn’t know,” said the older woman quietly.
“No,” replied Kim tersely. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going out for a walk.”
With that, Kim ran out of the room like she’d been shot, and Christine quickly left to find Ed.
Chapter Five
“Kim! Wait, please.”
Kim ignored him and strode to the beach. Ed finally caught her and grasped her arm; Kim rounded on him and with blazing amber eyes, she snarled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He faltered at the hurt look in her eyes and his wolf howled at him to fix this. He couldn’t stand to see his mate hurt. “Kim, gorgeous, I didn’t want you to think that she meant anything to me.”
Kim threw up her arms. “Ed, you were going to marry her! Did you not think that maybe I should have known something like that?” Yeesh, he hadn’t even bothered to tell her that Helena even existed before they reached the island, and then he had lied about how important she was to him. Why was he keeping secrets from her? She’d told him every rotten last detail about her romantic past, and yet he couldn’t even mention he had been engaged before?! Even her wolf, who was usually on Ed’s side, was having her doubts.
Kim felt tears welling. “Do you still love her?”
Ed looked like he’d been slapped, and his wolf whined at the thought. “No, Kim. I love you, and only you.” He took hold of her rigid arms and was thankful she didn’t move away from him. “I never loved Helena.”
“But you were going to marry her!” blurted Kim in frustration. Helena was with him for three months, and she managed to get a proposal out of him. Kim had been with him for about five, and she could barely even get him to spend a whole weekend with her!