by Jane Jamison
“What?” she whispered. “Can’t you tell I do?”
She’d expected a chuckle, but he was too serious. His hand picked up a steady rhythm that nearly drove her insane. Her abdomen tightened. She tried to bring his mouth back to hers, but he shook free of her hold.
“What are you doing?” Her breathing was ragged, showing how much she was on the edge and needing him.
“I want to look at you. I want to remember the first time we’re together.”
A groan broke free and she hit him on the shoulder. A girl could only stand so much. “You can look at me later. Hell, stare at me all night if you want. But right now, I need you to fuck me.”
He flicked his tongue over her nipple all while keeping his eyes locked to hers. “What about foreplay?”
“Screw foreplay.” She grinned. “No. Better yet. Screw me.”
He chuckled, the rich sound flowing over her. “Yes, ma’am.”
She stared in horror at him and struck him again. “Don’t ever call me that again. You got that?”
“Don’t worry. I hated it the minute it left my mouth.”
She laughed, happy that he’d had the same thought. “So? Are you going to do it, or are you going to take a picture? It’ll last a lifetime.”
“I want more than a damn picture for the rest of my life.”
She frowned, once again thrown. “The rest of your life? Ours? What are you two saying?” Her heart pounded. Had she known him longer, his words would’ve captured her heart. But it was too early, too unexpected for that kind of talk. As far as she planned, she’d probably never see him or his brothers after tomorrow.
Without warning, pain seared into her, putting a tight ring around her heart. She didn’t want to think about never seeing them again. But why? She didn’t know them. Denying the raging lust inside her, she shoved him back and fisted her hands on his chest. “We need to stop. I don’t understand—”
“You will. In time. Until then, don’t think.”
“But—”
“Callie?”
She waited for him to go on. “Uh-huh?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but would you please shut up? Do you want me to fuck you or not?”
She started to open her mouth again then bit her lower lip and nodded instead. He pushed her on her back and shoved her legs apart with his. Gazing into her eyes, he thrust his cock into her.
She cried out, a quick, sharp pain coming along with his size, but her cry changed into moans as he worked his hips back and forth. Her pussy walls enclosed him, welcoming him as she enveloped him in her arms.
He kissed her neck, nibbling her flesh as he pumped into her with a steady, strong rhythm. Wrapping her legs around him, she pushed back, giving him as much as he gave her. His balls spanked her bottom, and vaguely, she wondered if he’d like to use his hand against her butt cheeks instead. But that would have to wait for another time.
Another time.
She sighed. Would there be another time? If not, then she wanted to remember tonight as much as she could.
He placed his forehead against her shoulder and his short pants echoed in her ear. She stroked his neck, letting his hair tickle the side of her hand.
The heat that she’d thought was as hot as it could go leapt higher still. Her abdomen stirred with passion as her climax neared. And when he reached down to stroke her clit, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Her orgasm burst free, shooting waves of lust through her body in tremendous waves. She shook, her eyes closed, and rode the ride as it sped up then shuddered into the end.
Pete lifted away from her, and without looking, she knew he watched her face. He rammed into her harder, faster than before. Then, just as she opened her eyes, she saw his face tense along with his body. He stayed on the precipice for a few moments, the determination in his face showing how much he wanted to last longer, then yelled as he thrust into her again. His body shook as his release tore out of him and into her.
When at last he was finished, he fell to her side with his arm slung over her stomach in a protective way that had her tearing up.
Only then did she stop to think about real protection.
Oh, shit.
“Uh, Pete?”
“Yeah, sweetie.”
She turned to stare at him. “That is so not any better than calling me baby.”
“Sorry. Yeah, Callie?”
“I know this is a little late and it’s kind of like we should’ve watched a Lifetime movie beforehand, but I’m…”
He swept his palm over her cheek and she found herself leaning into the caress. “You’re…what?”
“I’m not on anything.”
“On any what? Drugs?” He chuckled. “That’s good to know. But I’d stick by you through rehab.”
She slapped his arm. “Funny. No, that’s not what I mean. I’m not on birth control.”
“Oh, that.” He flopped onto his body, seemingly undisturbed by her revelation.
He’d thrown her with what he’d said, but did his eyes have less amber in them? “Oh, that? Because unless you snuck on a condom, we might regret what we did.”
He rolled back onto his side. “I could never regret making love with you.”
Wow. Did he just say that?
“Besides, Callie, it’s not a problem.”
“Huh? What does that mean?” Was he sterile? Or snipped?
“Hey, Pete.”
She gasped and grabbed for her clothes at the sound of the voice outside the tent. Pete signaled that it was nothing to worry about.
“Yeah, Luke?”
“They want to see you in there.”
To her surprise, he jumped to his feet and pulled on his jeans. He didn’t bother picking up his shirt. “I’m coming.”
“Hey, hang on. We have things to talk about.”
“It’ll have to wait.”
She clutched her clothes over her body and sat up. “But you guys are going to take me down the mountain tomorrow, right?”
The expression on his face didn’t give her reassurance.
“I’m sorry, Callie, but that will depend on what Charlton and the rest of The Council decide. Until then, you have to stay here.” He motioned around him. “Feel free to make yourself at home. My brothers and I will return as soon as we can, but that may not be until the morning.”
“Wait. You’re leaving me? Alone?”
“Not really. Someone will stand guard over you.” He hurried to add the rest. “To protect you, of course.”
“To protect me from what?” Or is it to keep me from running?
But he was gone before she could get an answer.
Chapter Four
Callie pushed through the flaps of the tent. Pete was nowhere to be seen, but then it was difficult to see past the very large man standing in her way.
“Excuse me, but did you see where Pete went?” She hoped the man knew who Pete was.
“Yup.”
Okay, he’s not much of a talker.
She put on her sweetest smile. Why did he remind her of a stuffed teddy bear? “Do you know where he went?”
“Yup.”
Oh. My. God. Really. Is he a one-word man?
But she didn’t let her exasperation show. Maybe she needed to get more personal with the big lug. “You wouldn’t happen to be Luke, would you?”
“Yup.”
She nodded, thinking that it might encourage him to elaborate. But that tactic failed. “Great. Um, you’re a big, strong guy, huh?”
“Guess so.”
“I bet you have lots of women throwing themselves at you.”
He didn’t answer, letting his perplexed expression do his talking.
So much for getting more chummy with him. “Do you think you could take me to him? Or to Blue or Raine?”
“Nope.”
She blinked, maybe because she’d just noticed that he hadn’t blinked at all. “Why not?”
“Can’t.”
I�
�ve never wanted to shake an answer out of anyone more than I do right now.
“Why can’t you?”
“Just can’t.”
The last thread of her patience broke. “Look, big guy. If you can’t, then how about you pointing me in the right direction and I’ll find them myself?”
“I’m yours.”
His large, flat face scrunched up in what she thought might be a pout. “I’m sorry? How are you mine?” Did every man she met in the woods want her?
“I’m the one Blue picked to watch you.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” But what did that mean? Again she had to wonder if Blue had gotten him to watch her to keep her safe? Or to watch her to keep her from leaving?
“Tell you what, Luke. I’m going to have a look around the camp.” She held up her hand in what she thought was the Girl Scout salute. “I promise I won’t go into the woods. Is that good?”
He nodded vigorously, shaking the mane of dark hair to spill around his face. His bare chest was even broader than Blue’s and covered with hair. He was a bear of a man in more than his size. “Stay in the camp. The woods can be bad at night.”
She didn’t bother asking how the woods could be bad since she had other matters to attend to. First, she’d find the men and then she’d extract a promise from them to take her down the mountain in the morning. Or at least put her in a place where she could find her own way home.
“Great. Then that’s settled.” She started past him when he thrust out a huge paw of a hand.
“Nope. Stay put.”
She fought back the urge to make a break for it. He was huge, but she’d seen big men who were fast. She had to find another tactic to use. “I thought you said I could walk around?”
“Nope. Changed my mind.”
She resisted the urge to ask him how big a mind he had. “I just want to see if I can scrounge up a little food. Is that so bad?”
His unibrow lifted skyward. “You’re hungry? Sure, sure.” Craning his tree-trunk-size neck around, he hollered, “Lyra, bring food!”
Crap. That didn’t work either.
Within a few seconds, a beautiful woman with flowing brown hair appeared out of the darkness carrying a basket. She was as tall as Luke with what would be considered a large frame for a woman, but the way she held her body, the way her emerald eyes sparkled, gave her a special appearance that was entrancing.
“I was already on my way.” She jutted out her chin. “And don’t you go yelling for me like I’m your slave, Luke Yahr. I may be your mate, but I’m not about to take orders from you.”
She ignored the fact that Luke tried to respond and shifted her attention to Callie. “I’m Lyra.”
“And I’m Callie.”
“I heard we had a visitor and expected that the Deacon brothers hadn’t bothered to think about food. What else would you expect from men?”
Callie liked her. Her warmth was genuine and her demeanor easy-going. “I guess. I don’t really know them since I just met them earlier.”
Lyra pushed her way into the tent and Callie followed behind her. She set the basket down on the bright blue quilt in the center of the tent nearest the fire pit then turned back with a smile on her face and a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes. “Really? Are you sure about that?”
Callie fought to keep from darting her gaze to the quilts where she and Pete had made love. Would Lyra be able to tell by how rumpled the blankets were? Or worse, to smell the lingering scent of their sex? “I’m not sure what you mean.”
That’s it, isn’t it? Like he’d said. It had felt more like making love than having sex. Like I’ve known him for a lot longer than a few hours.
Lyra gave her a secretive smile. “Would you like to eat alone? Or would you prefer to have company?”
Since she wasn’t going to get away from the tent, she might as well get as much information from Lyra as she could. “Please, join me.”
Callie settled on the quilt opposite from where Lyra sat and waited for her to open the basket. The tall woman pulled open the lid and started putting out a variety of foods, all of which were either vegetables or fruits. “The men should have a container of water around here. Ah, there it is.”
She reached over and grabbed a pitcher and two mugs off a low-lying shelf then poured them both a drink. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t have any meat to serve you.”
“So you’re not vegetarians?”
Lyra’s laugh sounded like a cackle, but it didn’t take away from her charm. “Some of us are. Not Luke or myself, though. Or the Deacon brothers. Tell me. What did you think of them?”
She hadn’t expected that question. “Like I said, I just met them.”
Lyra rubbed an apple on the skirt of her dress. “As soon as I saw Luke I knew he was the one for me. And he knew it, too. Although I think it took me a while to actually admit it. But that’s the way of it, isn’t it? Something wonderful comes in such a quick time that the logical side of you thinks it’s too good to be true.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Are you talking about love at first sight?” Surely, Lyra didn’t think she’d fallen for the Deacons.
“For me and Luke, it was. But for others?” She shrugged. “Who knows? I wouldn’t doubt that those men had their fair share of women who would’ve lain with them the first night of knowing them.”
Callie dropped her gaze to pick up a banana. Was Lyra hinting that she knew about her and Pete?
“They’re terrific men, you know. Better than most, I’d say. The woman who gets them as mates will be a very lucky girl.”
“You said that word before. Mate. Do you mean like a husband and wife? Or partners?” She peeled the banana then it hit her. “Did you mean one woman for all three of them?”
Lyra bit into her apple and took her time chewing the piece. “So how did you meet them?”
Way to avoid answering.
But Callie didn’t think she should push. “I almost hate to tell you.”
Interest brightened Lyra’s face. “Well, then, now you have to. It sounds like a good story.”
“Yes, I guess it is. Although it makes me feel a bit stupid for how it happened.” She took a bite before going on and took the time to chew and think about her answer. “I was hiking through the woods.”
“On The Outside.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Lyra waved her confusion away. “Never mind. Go on.”
“Anyway, I saw this amazing buck with great antlers and I started to take his picture.” Did Lyra’s enthusiasm suddenly wane?
“But when I did, he saw me and charged. I was so stunned I barely thought to grab my camera. Once I did, I took off running and ran straight into a big hole.”
“No! Was it a deep hole? Like a pit or a trap?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I’ve seen them before. So is that when they found you?” Lyra leaned forward, anticipating the rest of the story.
“No. It was strange, but first there was this animal who watched me. I’m not sure what it was.”
Lyra’s face darkened. “Did it have red eyes?”
“Yes, it did. Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you seen it?” Eagerness zipped through her.
“I have and you were lucky that it didn’t do anything other than watch you.”
The venomous tone of Lyra’s voice had her rearing back. “It didn’t seem all that vicious to me. What is it? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is that when the Deacon men showed up? Did they run it off?”
It seemed Lyra was an expert at avoiding questions. But again, she decided not to push. “No. You’d think I’d sent out invitations. After the creature left, then three wolves showed up. That’s when I really got afraid.”
“Really? Did they act like they’d hurt you?”
She stopped to recall how they’d paced around the hole. Yet they really hadn’t done anything threatening. Even when the dark wolf had jumpe
d into the hole, he hadn’t attacked. “No. Now that you bring it up, they didn’t. One even got within a foot of me and didn’t bite. I guess I was lucky.”
“You’re luckier than you know.” Lyra leaned back and rested her weight on her elbows. “Then what happened?”
“The wolves left, and after a while, that’s when the Deacon brothers showed up.”
“What a wonderful story.”
“You’re being nice. I look like an idiot. Hell, I am an idiot for running straight into a hole.”
Lyra finished her apple in a couple of bites that any longshoreman would’ve been proud of. “What else were you supposed to do? Let the buck run over you?”
“Thanks for saying that.” She took another bite of her banana then followed it with a long drink. “So what is this place, anyway?”
Lyra’s face lit up with joy. “It’s our home. I suppose others might think of us as a cult or some kind of commune, but it’s not that. We call our home The Hidden since we’re so protected from outside interference by the mountains. We like to live in a simple way without all the modern conveniences.”
She laughed at Callie’s shocked expression. “I can understand your reaction. At first you think, what will I do without a washing machine? Or a hot bath to soak in? But, trust me, this place has so much more to offer. I bet once you get to know us, you won’t ever want to leave.”
The remainder of her banana dropped to the quilt. “Wait a minute. You make it sound like I’m staying. I’m leaving in the morning. No matter what.” She’d added the last part as a challenge.
Lyra pulled back, her mouth parting in an oh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe I should go. The Deacon men should explain all this to you. Not me.”
She stood, not bothering to gather any of the food, and scurried to the exit. “Please enjoy the food.”
“No, Lyra. Stay. I have a lot more questions.” She jumped up after her and made it outside to see Lyra dashing away. Luke put his brawny frame in front of her, blocking her from leaving again. She scowled at him but didn’t try to get around him. What was the point? She’d never make it.
What the hell is going on?
* * * *
Blue stood next to his brothers and faced the members of The Council. Charlton sat at the low long table along with Xnax, the firemaker, Tina, a fairie, Wisa, a werecat, and Harrison, a werewolf that he and his brothers didn’t like very well. The newest member, Titto, one of the few elves in The Hidden, propped his feet on top of the table.