by Jane Jamison
“Fuck you, man.” Yet Danny didn’t try to go after her.
“Tell us what happened.”
Mike loved his brothers, especially since they were so different. He was the oldest, and as such, he tended to take the lead. While he was a primary alpha in the Shadow Ridge Pack, he didn’t like to pull rank whenever it was a personal thing between him and his brothers. Still, at times, his higher pack ranking came in handy.
Alex was next in age, two years younger at thirty-three. He was more easy-going but could get riled up whenever Danny got excited. Where Danny tended to act without thinking, often leading with his emotions and his heart, Alex was more apt to take a moment to think. Not as much as Mike would, but at least he gave matters a passing thought.
“We danced.” He tried not to grin, knowing his vague answer would only further needle his brothers.
“You know what I mean.”
“We just made small-talk. Nothing big.”
“What did you say?” Alex lifted an eyebrow, showing he wasn’t fooling around.
“We talked about why she came to Fate and about her job. Like I said, just small-talk.”
“Damn it, Mike, you know what Alex is asking,” demanded Danny. “Did you feel anything?”
Were they really asking him that? Although other shifters talked about a strange primal bond that brought them together with their mates, he’d never believed in it. At least not as a real thing. What he’d felt was plain old, boy-meets-hot-girl attraction.
“She’s hot.”
“We already knew that.”
Mike could hear the growl in Alex’s tone and knew he was taking it too far. “What do you want me to say? She’s hot, smart, and exactly what we want.”
“Did you get a whiff of her?” asked Danny.
He hoped she hadn’t noticed. “Yeah. I did.”
“And?”
He pivoted around on his heel and headed for the bar. “What the hell do you want me to say? Yeah, I got a whiff of her, and I know she’s the right one. I almost shifted right then and there.”
“And?”
Sometimes Danny still reminded him of the young kid that had followed him around constantly asking questions. “What do you think? She smelled fucking awesome.”
“We can’t wait much longer, Mike.”
Alex didn’t need to tell him that. His inner wolf was howling to claim her. “We won’t.” He grinned as his brothers, surprised by his agreement, stalled behind him. They hurried to catch up.
“Then what’s the plan?” Danny was more eager than ever.
“No plan. We play it by ear. Like the Hardwick guys did with Raven, we take it easy but make it firm.”
“I guess that rules out me throwing her to the ground and fucking her, huh?”
Mike studied his youngest brother, not for the first time wondering if he was serious. “Yeah. That rules that out.”
* * * *
“Did you have a good time with your friends?”
Stella had her foot on the first step leading upstairs to the bedrooms. “Sure did.”
“Come and tell me all about it.”
At times, Shawna seemed more like her mother than her employer, especially when she asked questions about where she’d been. The woman often slept during the day and liked to prowl around the house at night, much the way her cats did. But how could Stella turn her down? Shawna had done so much for her that she hated to refuse her almost anything. If not for Shawna, Stella might not have found a job and been able to stay in Fate.
Stifling a yawn, she took a seat on the couch next to her employer. “There’s really not much to tell.”
“Is that so?” Shawna’s green gaze met hers. The woman had a way of staring at her without blinking.
“It was just us girls having a beer at the bar. I saw Quinn there.”
“Figures he’d be out carousing this time of the night.” Shawna picked up the black cat resting on her lap and set him on the floor. “Who else was there?”
Stella wasn’t sure how Shawna knew, but she’d done more than her fair share at hinting about the Lennox men. “No one special.” She knew as soon as she’d said the words that Shawna would see through the lie.
“Really? The Lennox men weren’t there? Funny, they usually drop in for a beer or two on a Saturday night.”
“Yes, they were around.” Around, but not close enough. At least not Danny and Alex.
“When are you going to stop pussyfootin’ around them and let them know you wouldn’t mind if they sniffed around you?”
Stella sat back. The hints were over. “Wow. Talk about coming right out with it.”
“I usually try to let others bring personal things up first, but you don’t seem to be getting the hints I’ve tossed your way.”
“Look, Shawna, I appreciate everything you and Quinn have done for me, but—”
“You’d rather I keep my nose out of your personal business?”
“Well, yes.”
“Sweetie, I’d love to, but sometimes a friend has to give another friend a swift kick in the butt to get them moving. For their own good, of course.” Shawna’s lips curved. “Consider this your butt-kickin’.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The hell you don’t.” Shawna patted Stella on the leg. “Anyone with eyes in their head can see you’re smitten with them. And with all three of them, too.”
Stella struggled to find something to say. But what could she say when Shawna was right but she didn’t want to admit it? “I don’t really know them.”
“True enough, but what you do know you like. Am I right?”
Stella didn’t answer and, instead, cast her gaze to the floor. Princess, the female tabby in the household, jumped on her lap, giving her a much-needed excuse not to look at Shawna.
“Girl, let me tell you about the Lennox men.”
Stella stayed silent, wanting to hear what Shawna would say. She’d asked a few people around town—in what she’d hoped was a very nonchalant way—and had found out a few things. But the more she saw them, the more she wanted to know.
“They’re three of the best men I know. That’s saying something when you consider what they—”
Shawna’s abrupt halt had Stella lifting her gaze. “What they what? What were you going to say?”
“I meant how old they are without having settled down yet.”
She didn’t want to call her employer a liar, but the lie was written all over Shawna’s face. “They’re in their thirties, right?”
Shawna’s eyes narrowed, like one of her cats getting ready to pounce. “Looks like you’ve been checking up on them.”
“Not really.” She had to look away again and stroked the cat. “I probably just heard it somewhere.”
“Uh-huh. Well, anyway, they’re honest, hardworking, generous and kind. Not that they’re softies like men you’d find in Atlanta or some other big city. Someone gets those boys riled, they’d damn sure better beware. But as far as women go, they treat all of us, old and young, with respect. Like real men should.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Very nice.
The memory of Mike’s body close hers came back, and for a moment, she was sure someone had turned on the heat in the house. Funny how she could feel that way even with the air conditioner blowing her hair around her neck.
“Plus, you’ve got the added benefit of them being hot as hell.”
She must’ve made a surprised face because Shawna reacted to it.
“Uh-huh. You have noticed, haven’t you? Hell, who could blame you? A woman would have to be buried six feet under not to notice those three brothers.”
She hadn’t meant to ask any questions, but now that they were on the subject of the Lennox men, maybe it would be okay. At least if she kept the questions of a general nature. “Can I ask you a question about the people of Fate?”
“You can ask me a lot of questions about anything. It never hurts to ask. Doesn’t mean I’m going to a
nswer them, but fire away, sweetie.”
“Is it unusual for people around here to do the ménage thing?”
“Are you talking about one woman who has more than one man in her life? Not only for fun, but for a lifetime? Just to be clear, that is.”
“Right. Is that a thing around here?”
“It is.” The green eyes narrowed again. “Do you have a problem with it?”
“Me? No. What other people want to do is up to them as long as it’s not against the law or hurting anyone else. Is it against the law?”
Shawna’s piercing gaze was unnerving. “Well, now, you can’t legally marry more than one person, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live with them. Plus, since it is the norm in Fate, no one’s going to give you grief about it if that’s what you want to do. Is that what you want to do?”
“Oh. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just curious.” Her gaze darted to one of the cat’s walking along the back of the couch. “You know. Curious like a cat.” She chuckled. “I just hope I don’t die from curiosity.”
Shawna waved her statement away. “That’s a stupid old myth. No cat ever died from being curious. Unless, of course, she ended up sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. But you never answered my question. Are you interested in having more than one man? Because if you’re looking toward the Lennox brothers, you’re going to have to take all three of them. They’ve never hidden their desire to share a woman.”
She had to force her mouth closed. “Really? Are you sure about that?” She hurried to clarify. “Not that I’m saying I’m interested. Again. Just curious.”
“Oh, sure. Just curious. And yes, sweetie, I’m sure. A woman could do a whole lot worse than them. Not my type, but then again, after having my Ben and William, I’m not inclined to fall in love again.”
“Ben and William?” She hadn’t seen one indication that Shawna had men in her life.
“That’s right. Ben and William were my mates. Unfortunately, they both drowned in a fishing accident.”
“I’m so sorry.” Yet why hadn’t Shawna mentioned them before?
“Thank you. I never could understand why those two liked getting into a small boat and out onto the water. Sure, they liked fish—who doesn’t?—but neither one of them could swim to save his life. As it turns out, they couldn’t, and they drowned.” Her tone was gruff, but the tear she wiped away spoke of tender feelings. “Damn fools.”
“Have they been gone a long time?”
“More than ten years.” Shawna sat up straighter. “Anyway, if you’ve got a hankering for the Lennox brothers, then you should let them know. You wouldn’t want some other woman to get her claws into them, now would you?”
The conversation had gotten far too serious, too fast. Stella stood up. “It’s way past my bedtime. I’d better get some sleep so I can wake up and get to work.” She smiled, telling of her joke. “I wouldn’t want to get fired.”
Shawna tipped her head, acknowledging either Stella’s ploy to get away or the reality that she did need to get some sleep. “Then you’d better get moving.”
“Right.” Relief swamped her as she moved quickly out of the room. Laughter followed her as she hurried up the staircase.
“Princess, that girl has no idea what she’s getting herself into, does she?”
* * * *
“Full house. Read ’em and weep, bro.” Alex laughed as he flopped his cards onto the kitchen table.
Danny snarled at Alex. He hadn’t won a hand yet. Not because he was a lousy poker player—even though he was—but because he couldn’t concentrate on the game. The only thing he could think about since leaving the Wolf’s Den two nights earlier was Stella.
“You’re doing even worse than usual.” Mike laid his hand down. “You lose a lot, but you’re never this far down.”
“Who the hell cares?” Danny slumped in his chair. His gaze strayed around their modest two-story home with comfortable furniture and photos of their family scattered everywhere. Although it was their home, it felt as though something was missing. And he knew exactly what that something was.
Stella.
“Take it easy, man,” voiced Alex with a warning in his tone. “It’s only cards.”
“I’m not talking about that, and you know it.” Danny scraped the floor as he stood and pushed back the chair. He paced away from them, ran his hand through his hair, and then confronted them again. “We said we were going to get moving on her. So why haven’t we?”
“We will.”
“When, Mike? Next week? Next month? Neither one of those options will work for me.”
“So what do you want to do, huh?” Mike leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. His tone was level and calm, but a muscle jumped in his jaw.
“I should go into town right now and tell her we want her.”
“Without even taking her out on a date? We just talk to her a few times and then expect her to be cool about the whole thing? Riiight. Like that’ll happen.” Alex pulled the pot of pennies toward him. “Sit down. It’s your turn to deal.”
“Fuck that.” He’d made up his mind. If his brothers weren’t going to put their plan into action, then he would. Striding over to the coat rack, he snatched his cowboy hat up. “You two can stay here and fiddle with your pricks for all I care. I won’t mind getting first shot at her.”
“Cool your heels, Danny,” ordered Mike.
Mike was the alpha, and Danny was only an omega in the pack, but he wasn’t about to let his brother pull rank on him this time. “Not happening.”
He’d managed to make it a few feet outside the door when he was hit from behind. The breath was knocked out of him as he fell forward, twisting as he did to take hold of Alex’s shirt. Together, they hit the ground and rolled.
By the time Alex had gotten to his feet, Danny was already shifting. His clothes tore as his body transformed, bones breaking while other parts of him elongated or shortened. He barely got his boots off in time, but the rest of his clothes were shredded before he could reach for a button.
Damn it. I hate when that happens.
“Stop shifting,” ordered Mike. But neither he nor Alex heeded the command.
Alex shifted as he threw his body at Danny again. Jaws opened, showing vicious fangs. Claws dug into flesh that was soon covered with fur. The world around him filled with an amber color as his eyes changed. Their bodies, now both wolves, rammed into each other and rolled again.
He’d do his best to fight Alex, but he’d never do either of his brothers any real harm. Their fight was the same as it had been as youngsters, with superficial wounds that would heal with their werewolf metabolisms.
When he got to his feet a second time, he found Mike standing between them. He snarled, warning his brother to get out of the way. Alex growled and crouched low on the other side of Mike.
“You’re not doing any good by fighting each other.” Mike’s eyes glowed with amber, telling that his own wolf was close to the surface. “If you want to blow off steam, then go for a run.”
Even in his wolf form he understood what Mike said, and he agreed. Still, although he hadn’t been the one to start the fight, he wasn’t the kind who’d back down from a fight, either.
Mike pivoted toward Alex. “Knock it off. You started this. You end it. Understood?”
Alex paced in a circle, his tail hanging low, his lips pulled back in a snarl. Danny waited, ready to counteract any attack his brother might make. Instead, Alex let out a long, low frustrated growl then lowered his head, showing submission to their alpha. Alex shifted, turning back into his human form, his shredded clothes hanging on his body.
Mike turned back to Danny. “Change.”
He didn’t want to. If he waited even a minute more, it would show Alex that he’d come out the victor, the one willing to hang on the longest. Yet denying Mike wasn’t a possibility for long.
Growling, Danny let the shift take him over. Pain came as it always did, but like all wer
ewolves, he accepted the pain as part of what he was. His amber-filled vision began diffusing, giving way to the true colors of the world. He straightened to his full height and glared at Alex. Mike dragged in a long breath and released it. Then, turning on his heel, he strode toward the pickup.
“Where’s he going?” asked Alex as he moved closer to Danny, the argument already forgotten.
“Beats the hell out of me.”
Once Mike reached the pickup, he yanked open the driver’s side door and shot them a questioning look. “Well? What are you two idiots waiting for? Let’s go see our mate.”
Danny looked at Alex, and Alex looked at Danny with almost the same expression. Laughing, Danny shoved his brother back and ran for the truck.
* * * *
“Boys, do you know what time it is?”
Stella heard Shawna’s voice coming from the foyer of the B&B. Wondering who would dare visit after nine at night, she dropped the towels she was folding in the bathroom and hurried toward the top of the stairs.
Nine to nine. That was a social rule a lot of southerners lived by. It was simply impolite to call or visit someone before nine in the morning and after nine at night.
Who’s here?
“We’re here to see Stella.”
She stalled in her tracks. Alex Lennox was here. Were his brothers with him? But why? They certainly didn’t need a room.
“Does she know you’re coming?” asked Shawna, her tone sounding both irritated and intrigued.
“Nope. But we’re hoping she’ll like what we came to tell her.”
That’s Danny. Mike has to be with them.
“Can’t it wait until decent hours?”
Why was Shawna throwing up a roadblock? Especially after the conversation they’d shared? She eased toward the stairs again, unsure if she should let them know she’d heard them or wait to see how Shawna handled the situation.
“No. We’ve made our decision, and we want her to know.”
There’s Mike, all right. But what decision is he talking about?