Silver Fox

by Kristen Strassel

  “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.” I sighed. “I’m not perfect.”

  “Nobody is.” Jenna walked back into the kitchen, and my gaze fell to the denim hugging her round, luscious ass. I’d made a lot of mistakes. She ladled something into a mug and brought it over to me. “All we can do is try.”

  It smelled delicious. “What’s this?”

  “Hot chocolate.” She grinned. “Did I just mom you? While you were gone, I thought of all the times I took Fiona skiing. She used to love it when she came in from the cold.”

  I hated that I missed out on that. “I love it. But where did you get it?”

  “I stood in the doorway and watched you for as long as I could see you.” A flush rose in her cheeks. “I thought you might want something warm when you came back. I’ve got to do something about your pantry. You’ve got no food.”

  “I’m on a specific diet during the season.”

  “I’ve heard.” She fought her grin. “I noticed your neighbor’s door with the rosy-looking wreath. I figured a woman had to live there. Tessa confirmed my suspicions. So I went over and introduced myself to Naomi, who gave me the cocoa on the condition I made sure to tell you it was hers and Sebastian never touched the stuff.”

  “She’s a trip.” And she’d been damn good for Sebastian’s game. With her, he was at peace. He’d found his mate. “Keep her away from Fiona.”

  I’d make sure Tessa edited that part out. All my mistakes would be broadcast to the world. I hated it during the game, and I wasn’t going to like it on the Real Werewives.

  Jenna laughed. “She also said she’s looking forward to the party on Sunday night. She seemed sweet.”

  “She’s a trouble magnet.” I’d fought Sebastian’s twin brother twice over things Naomi had been connected to. Not that I resented it—she was his mate, and the members of the Bloodhounds were his pack. We took care of our own. Even though I’d done a lousy job of that for myself.

  “There are some definite similarities between her and Fiona.” Jenna put her own mug down. “Like they both have good hearts and they might be a little misunderstood.”

  I raked my hand through my hair. After my shift, it stood on end. I didn’t care. Jenna was right, but that combination added up to equal trouble. “Fiona becoming a Real Werewife will add tension in the locker room. If we miss the playoffs, Coach is going to look to me for the reason. What do I tell him? I couldn’t lead the team because I can’t control my daughter?”

  “How old is that boy who wants to take her out?”

  I bristled at Jenna calling the player who’d been groomed to be my protégé a boy. “Twenty-one.”

  “I can assure you he is tame by Fiona standards.” She whacked me when I growled. I wasn’t holding back my animal side anymore. Jenna deserved to be with all of me. “Let him try to date her. If he can make it stick, first of all, he’s a miracle worker. But it could be good for her.”

  “There’s no way to stop this train wreck from happening?” I pulled the blanket over my lap. This soon after a shift, my adrenaline and my emotions danced too close to my skin. I had the overwhelming need to claim what was mine, but not in front of a camera crew. It would be time for them to leave soon.

  “I’ve been fighting for eighteen years. This is Fiona. Up close and personal. I love her, but since I’ve moved here, I’ve had a chance to fall in love with her again. She’s not a bad person, Landon.”

  I growled. “I never said she was.”

  “She’s not doing this to hurt you. I used to take it personally too. She definitely wants our attention, but she’s not trying to hurt anyone. In a way, being a Real Werewife actually might be good for her. Right now, she’s in love with the idea of falling in love.”

  “There’s no way to stop it?”

  Jenna shook her head. “I’m not saying I like it. Not by a long shot. Honestly, I don’t think she’ll mate. She’s just getting caught up in the excitement of the show. But I spent a lot of time shutting out people whose decisions I didn’t agree with. I missed out on a lot of great stuff because people didn’t live up to ideals I’d set for them.”

  She was talking about me. And here I was, saying I wanted my family in my life, but I was pushing my daughter away. I shook my head. “I’ve already threatened Tyler within an inch of his life if he touches her.”

  It was a promise.

  “Good.” Jenna peeled the blanket away from my thigh, her eyes widening when she saw my hard cock. She licked her lips, and my animal was going crazy this close to the shift. “So if she tries something like I’m about to do, it won’t work.”

  Tessa and her small crew were still set up in the corner.

  “What is it I’m supposed to do?” Jenna looked over to them. “Stare down the barrel of the camera to get them to go?”

  “Just tell them to get the hell out.” My words were tipped with a growl.

  “We’re leaving.” Tessa shut off the camera and lowered it from the tripod. “Enjoy the night, guys.”

  Waiting for them to leave was torture. Time stood still as they packed up. I was ready to fucking explode, as Jenna clutched the edge of the blanket.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, she wrapped her fingers around my shaft. “It’s so weird they’re always here.”

  “This is what we signed up for,” I said between clenched teeth. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but how her hand was moving up and down my shaft. “Do your worst.”

  “I’ll do better than that.” She let go of me, and stripped away her sweater once more. “I’ll give you my best.”

  HAVING JENNA AROUND all the time was a dangerous thing. She’d stayed at my condo that sleepless night, and I had her in the living room, in the kitchen, and finally in my bed. Waking up next to that woman was enough to erase the dread that had come over me in the last few days. I had to keep my shit together, but it was becoming increasingly difficult knowing that after today my teammates would be encouraged to make my daughter their mate.

  I loved those guys. I loved my daughter more, even if I had a funny way of showing it. And for the first time in my life, I was willing to play some defense to prove it.

  Tyler nodded to me as I approached my locker. Usually no one beat me into the practice facility. During the week, I came in early to watch film with Coach, and on home game days, I liked to sit in the empty stands before anyone got there and listen to the stadium. It had a vibration. I’d never explained my ritual to anyone—as players, we accepted the weird shit we did in the name of game prep—but I was surprised more shifters didn’t do the same.

  Playing football was the closest I got to my animal form without shifting.

  “Set your alarm for the wrong time?” I asked Tyler as I loaded in my gear. “You’re awfully early.”

  “I’ve been in the gym.” And it showed. His bare arms were cut and his undershirt clung to eight-pack abs.

  “You need to conserve...” I was about to say, your energy for the game, but if all went according to plan, he’d never set foot on the field. “Been studying the playbook?”

  I sounded like such an asshole. An old asshole.

  Tyler rumbled. He was a lion shifter and we’d forever be locked in a fight for dominance. The odds were not in my favor. “I’m ready to go into the game at any time.”

  We were eye to eye. “First day you came in early?” I asked.

  “I usually do it after practice, but I have a party to go to tonight.”

  As team captain, I didn’t put up with this kind of bullshit. I’d never fought a teammate. Never had to. It wouldn’t help. The guys were filing into the locker room, eyeing us but staying quiet. Too quiet. This kind of atmosphere was toxic before a big game. I didn’t want to be on the field wondering who had my back when three hundred pound linebackers were gunning for me.

  Coach came into the locker room and shook his head. He was feeling it, too. We had similar approaches to the game, believing that anyone had the chance to master the physica
l part of the game if they put their mind to it. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible. It took a special kind of player to master the mental game, to get into the heads of their teammates and their rivals and read their thoughts before they had them. All that stuff about offense selling tickets and defense winning championships? It was nothing without intuition.

  “Seattle’s in the building, and they look hungry for a win.” When Coach started talking, everyone stopped what they were doing and listened. “I wish I could say the same about this locker room. What’s happened to your love of the game? Are you taking it for granted after a couple of wins? Last year the Alaska Bloodhounds didn’t exist. Think about that. This thing that’s become a major part of who you are was nothing last year. You are the Alaska Bloodhounds. In a couple hours, fifty thousand people will file into this stadium to watch the Alaska Bloodhounds—they’ve worked all week and they’re spending their hard-earned money to pin their hopes on a Bloodhounds playoff run. Soon, you’ll run out on that field, but are you going to show up for the people who cheer for the Bloodhounds?”

  His gaze settled squarely on me before he disappeared into his office. Shit. I’d never been the distraction before. I could argue this was why I focused on football and nothing else, which got me into deep shit in my personal life. I slammed my hand against my locker and everyone turned around to look at me.

  “You ready to play?” I asked, only met with a few murmurs that sounded like they could take or leave football. Seattle was going to have a grand time handing our asses to us.

  So this time, I said it louder. “Are you ready to play?”

  “I am,” Tyler said, clasping his hand over mine. The guys surrounding us repeated the mantra, one battered and taped hand on top of the other. We bled for this. Now, it was time to show up.

  I’D NEVER KNOW IF IT was Coach’s speech that inspired us or my own sheer desire not to lose everything in one day, but we won. Seattle was ravenous and it was the hardest game I could remember playing. It had been a long time since I got knocked on my ass so much. The crowd roared every time I got back up. They were in this fight as much as the team was.

  But tonight, I faced my battle alone. Stop being melodramatic. My animal was getting pissed off with my dread over this party. Fiona could do a lot worse than an Alaska Bloodhound, a guy you’d go into battle to defend. He was right. My problem had nothing to do with the guys on the team. My little girl wasn’t so little anymore and I’d missed the whole fucking thing.

  You have a chance to be in her life now, my fox reminded me. Want to push her away again?

  There were streamers and balloons on my front door when I got back to the condo. I laughed, letting myself believe for a moment that this was a little kid party, and I hadn’t missed every single one of Fiona’s birthdays until now. It was in the middle of the season, and I could never get away. I always called, my heart aching long after I hung up at how far away she was, and how grown up she always sounded from the last time I’d spoken to her. This was the first of my daughter’s birthdays I hadn’t spent alone.

  “Oooh! Landon’s here!” My condo was full of Werewives and crew. One of the Werewives, Molly, was setting up a makeshift bar. I winked at her—I’d taken her out before and had a good time, even if she wasn’t my mate. Another Werewife, Naomi, was pouring way too much liquor into a pitcher. The island was covered with food, and Jenna was behind the island, putting the finishing touches on another tray.

  “There’s no keg,” she said after giving me a kiss that made the rest of the ladies cheer. “But Naomi’s making pitchers of something she calls a Werewife Woohoo that lives up to its name.”

  “It’s like a Long Island Iced Tea but I put my own twist on it.” Naomi offered me a glass. It was bright red and she’d put a little umbrella in it.

  I took a sip and braced myself as fire flowed through my veins. “Jesus, Naomi. No one’s even going to remember this party past their first drink.”

  “You forget your audience.” Jenna’s next kiss sucked the flavor away from my lips. She raised her eyebrows as she pulled away. “They think that’s a good thing. It’s the two of us who will pay the consequences tomorrow.”

  “A few more sips of that Werewife Wallbanger and I won’t even care.” I pulled her against my body.

  “It’s a Woohoo.” Jenna’s laugh ended with her scraping her teeth against her bottom lip and there was no question how this night would end. With this woman in my bed. I didn’t care if the entire team and all the Werewives were here. Tonight was the night I’d claim her.

  I took another sip of the drink. Already it was going down easier. Skimming my lips over her skin, I hovered over her ear. “After a few more of these, I’m going to take you against the wall.”

  Jenna pulled away from me, turning to Naomi. “Make sure his glass is topped off at all times.”

  That got a cheer out of the ladies, and some of the guys who’d filtered in behind me. No, that wasn’t what got them excited. Fiona had come downstairs.

  She was so beautiful. Her long red hair was curled and her makeup done. She looked so much like her mother. I pulled away from Jenna and approached my daughter.

  “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. “Where’s the rest of your dress?”

  It looked like someone had wrapped a black bandage around her, with slits of skin visible over her stomach. My animal was going crazy because that dress was nothing but trouble, but my human side was buzzed off that rum punch and Jenna. It was a dangerous mix.

  “On the bedroom floor, where it belongs.” She laughed when I growled. “Kidding.”

  “That dress stays on tonight.” Each word rumbled.

  “Mmm hmm. I’ll stay dressed as long as you do.” She winked. “Kidding! Have some more punch, Dad. Thanks for throwing me a party.”

  “I’d rather be here for the debauchery than hear about it tomorrow in the locker room.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m a Werewife now. They’re going to announce it once more of the guys get here. I don’t want it to change anything between us. I know you’re weirded out that it’s me and your teammates. If it makes you feel any better, I was weirded out that you and Mom did the same thing. And you know what? I love it now. You’re both so happy. I’ve never seen you guys like this before. I like it.”

  “So you’re saying I’ll like this eventually?” I asked. Never gonna happen...

  She shrugged. “Maybe. But if Mom didn’t come here, I wouldn’t have had the chance to spend so much time with you lately. I like that, too. And all the new friends I’ve made here. So what I’m saying is, taking chances is a good thing.”

  I kissed her head again. That was my girl.

  Chapter Eleven

  JENNA

  I was the mother of an adult. How the hell did that happen? My baby was eighteen, and I’d be forever thankful for the punch Naomi was doling out, even if it should’ve had an octane rating. She’d made it her personal mission to make sure Landon’s glass was full at all times. All the details were blurring together in a not-so-painful way.

  A few things stood out. The best things, like the way Landon’s body felt against mine as we danced to the DJ, and Fiona’s declaration to her dad. That she was happy to see us together, and even more than that, happy in Holiday Falls. We’d fought so much less since we’d come to Alaska. She still drove me crazy, but we had more of a chance to talk about it instead of screaming at each other and stomping off. Things weren’t perfect, but progress was a precious gift that a lot of mothers didn’t get with their children. Becoming a Real Werewife truly was a second chance at all aspects of my life. And I was grateful.

  Fiona, much to her dad’s chagrin, would make a great Werewife.

  “When are you going to make good on your promise?” I meant to be sexy and whisper in Landon's ear, but after a couple Woohoos, or Wallbangers as Landon keep calling them, my lips bumped his jaw instead.

  “Which one?” His gray hair st
ood on end and his blue eyes sparkled. As much as he'd bitched about this party, he was having a great time. We were surrounded by Bloodhounds and Werewives, bodies tangled and swaying.

  “When you fuck me against the wall,” I said, too loudly based on how many people turned and grinned. One of the Bloodhounds offered Landon a high five.

  He laughed. “And I thought Fiona was the wild child I had to keep my eye on tonight.”

  “Fiona’s a big girl now.” I grasped handfuls of his shirt. Those drinks were hitting me hard. “I want your eyes on me.”

  “They will be,” he said with a growl. I loved that. I never appreciated how sexy it was last time I was with him. Before I thought it some weird thing he did. I made a lot of stupid decisions in my life. “My eyes, my hands, my lips, my tongue...”

  I liked where this was going. “What else?”

  “My cock,” he said as the DJ muted the music, and I swear the world echoed off the walls of the condo. His cheeks flushed as the couples around us chuckled. Thankfully Fiona didn’t seem to be within earshot. After all the crap we gave her about this party, she’d have a field day if we were the ones who misbehaved.

  But no one else noticed, because Fiona climbed up on the bar. I said a quick prayer she had something on under that skimpy dress, or all of Alaska was about to get a show.

  “Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming to my birthday party,” she said and waved her hands as an impromptu version of Happy Birthday broke out.

  “Spankings for the birthday girl!” someone yelled at the end of the song. Landon growled for real.

  “If you’re lucky.” Fiona laughed. “I don’t want to keep anyone from their fun, especially my parents who’ve been getting frisky on the dance floor.”

  A cheer rose from the crowd, and the Bloodhounds surrounding us clapped their hands on Landon’s shoulder. This time he didn’t bristle or growl. He pulled me in tighter.

  “Did you know they weren’t even together before my mom applied for the show? So if all goes well, that’s what we all have to look forward to.” Fiona’s face lit up, and she made sure to play it up for the camera that was trained on her. “Yes, I said we. As of today, I’m a Real Werewife!”