He slipped his hands around her ass cheeks and impaled her pussy with his rock-hard cock. She wrapped her legs around him. She was completely off the table, held in his arms. He took her with fast, hard thrusts until with one final grunt he exploded inside her. She cried out with an exquisite pleasure that had her gasping for breath.
He leaned her back gently on the table as his body shook in one spasm of pleasure after another. She heard him cry her name before his body covered hers. She lay beneath him, her legs now dangling from the end of the table.
“Oh, my beautiful Maura,” he cried out again. His mouth took hers, kissing her over and over until he pulled away from her, his eyes staring into hers.
She reached up to stroke his hair. She loved him so much that she felt she would burst from it. “I love you, Max.”
His eyes that had been so warm turned cold. “You love to fuck, Maura,” he countered. “Don’t confuse love with sex.”
If he had slapped her, it could not have hurt as much. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, he was still staring at her.
“We’re good together, Maura. Please...don’t complicate it,” he said softly. “Enjoy what we have.”
“I’m tired,” she said, looking anywhere but into those eyes that made her face the truth. There was nothing to say. He had said it all.
“Me, too. Go jump in bed with Toby. I think I’ll take a shower and then sleep in the spare bedroom. It’s the only way I’m going to get any real sleep.” Although his words were not unkind, his dismissal was clear. She watched his finely muscled body leave hers. He was magnificent, but he wasn’t hers. How could he be such a passionate lover and then with the blink of an eye freeze her very soul with just a word?
Toby was still asleep when she crawled back into bed. She turned away from him and let the tears flow. She stifled her sobs in the pillow, not wanting to wake him or explain why she was crying. Her tears subsided, but the emptiness inside her was something she knew would never go away.
In the morning she was still smarting from Max’s words, even though she tried to convince herself they didn’t matter. What else could she do? Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to function. She wasn’t about to beg either of them to love her. How could she have fallen for them so hard when they didn’t feel the same way? How could they love her body with such passion and not her? Was it her destiny to always love the wrong men?
* * * *
Maura hated working the floor, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Rhonda was still off the schedule more than she was on because Todd was undergoing a battery of tests. He had an infection and the doctors were still trying to find the cause. Maura was not only working her shifts at the Den, but she had taken on some at Lucy’s. Normally she would have hated being away from Toby and Max, but now that their relationship or lack thereof had been spelled out for her, it was a relief not to be subjected to the awkward moments that came far too often when they weren’t both buried deep inside her, something she knew was destined to be short-lived.
If she had any guts, she would tell them both to go take a flying leap, but the thought of not being held in their arms was something she wasn’t yet ready for. And if she was honest with herself, they hadn’t made promises or lied to her. So, how could she fault them when the fault was her own?
Maura was at Lucy’s waiting on her regular morning customers when she felt her cell phone vibrate. It was Rhonda.
“I hate to ask, but could you work my lunchtime shift and then pick up the girls after school? You’re not working the Den tonight, are you?”
“No,” Maura lied. “And of course I’ll work for you and pick up the girls. No problem. How’s Todd doing?”
“They want him hospitalized until they can figure out what’s causing the infection. They wanted to do it before, but he said no. They’re not giving him a choice now, and neither am I.”
“He needs to be where they can take care of him, not that you’re not doing a great job, but until they get this figured out, it really is for the best.”
“I know. He’s fighting it, but I told him he’s got to go. He’s lost weight and he looks like hell.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’m here for you. You know that.”
“You’ve been great about everything. You’re better to me than my own sisters who I thought I could count on, but they have their own families to worry about.”
“I’m sure they’re doing their best.”
“Right.”
She knew Rhonda and her sisters had never been close, but she, too, was surprised by their indifference. She also knew they had never wanted her to marry Todd in the first place. And now they blamed him for putting his family in the position they were in.
Rhonda had confided that not a day went by that Todd didn’t think about the accident that had been his own fault because of drinking too much at a Christmas party at work. He had lost control of his car that had hit the median strip before rolling over several times. Luckily, no one else had been hurt, but Todd had been paralyzed.
“I’ll call the school and let them know you’re coming,” Rhonda said. “Thank God I gave you a key. Thanks again, hon. I owe you big time.”
“You owe me nothing. Your friendship means more to me than anything.”
“And yours to me.”
When she left Lucy’s, she went to the grocery store and bought some snacks for the girls. She knew they loved cheese doodles and sour candies. However, she opted for dark chocolate and strawberries, something a little healthier.
Both Emma and Lea were excited to see her. With only a year between them, they looked almost like twins. Brown curly hair and big blue eyes that were replicas of their father’s stared up at her.
“Auntie Maura.” Lea hugged her. “My teacher said you were picking us up.”
Emma, the older of the two, took her hand. “Is Daddy okay?”
Maura wasn’t sure how much Rhonda had told them. “He’s fine. Your mother needed to take him to the doctor’s, and she knew they would be a while. I’m just glad I could come pick you up. You know how much I love spending time with my two favorite girls.”
The ride to the apartment was nonstop chatter with each girl vying for her attention. She loved them, but by the time they arrived home, she was ready for a little quiet. Once she had settled them down to do homework, she started cleaning up the kitchen and straightening out the living room. Rhonda wasn’t the greatest of housekeepers under normal circumstances, but with Todd being ill, cleaning the house had to be the last thing on her mind.
Once their homework was done, the girls couldn’t wait to start dipping the strawberries in chocolate that they promised to eat after dinner. She had found some leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator that she knew was one of their favorites. Both girls stuck to her like glue while she was preparing dinner. They ate everything on their plates. She was glad to see they hadn’t lost their appetites.
After dinner they had eaten the chocolate-covered strawberries. However, it wasn’t long before she had to break up an argument over which game they would play first. She flipped a coin. Candy Land won.
Maura had thought Rhonda would be home soon after dinner, but the evening stretched on without any sign of their mother. When it was time for bed, Emma looked worried. “I thought they would be home by now.”
“Your Mom and Dad knew they would be busy for a while, so don’t worry,” Maura said, kissing her good night.
“Couldn’t you read us one more story?” Lea asked.
“Okay, but just one more.” Before the end of the story, Emma and Lea had both fallen asleep. She was just shutting the door to their room when she heard the front door open. Rhonda walked in looking exhausted.
“How’s Todd?”
“He’s fine. Hooked up to an IV full of a combination of antibiotics and still looking pale, but I know he’s where he needs to be.”
“Absolutely, he is. The question now is…how are you?”
Rhond
a broke down, tears running down her cheeks. “If anything happens to him, I swear. He’s got to be okay. He has to.”
Maura took Rhonda in her arms and hugged her.
“I love him so much, Maura.”
“I know you do. And he loves you. You’re both so lucky to have each other and the girls.” Maura knew that no matter what, Rhonda had found the love of her life with Todd. She was happy her friend had found what she didn’t think she ever would.
“How are they?” Rhonda asked, wiping away her tears. “I’m glad they’re in bed. I wouldn’t want them to see me like this.”
“They’re fast asleep. Emma’s a little worried. I didn’t say anything about the hospital. I figured you’d want to tell them.”
“I will tomorrow. Right now I just want to go to bed. It was a tiring day with the paperwork and Todd fighting me every step of the way.”
“How about I fix you something to eat first? I bet you haven’t even eaten.”
Rhonda nodded. “You know me too well. I guess I should eat something.”
By the time she left Rhonda’s, she barely had enough time to make it to the Den for her shift. She should have left earlier, but Rhonda had become talkative over scrambled eggs and toast. Maura didn’t want her to suspect she had a shift at the Den that night, so she didn’t want to rush out. The fact was, she was dead on her feet. She just hoped it would be an easy night and she wouldn’t do anything stupid.
Chapter Thirteen
Toby watched Maura from behind the bar. Seeing her in the skimpy uniform made his cock swell. He caught his breath. It was crazy how she could make him forget everything but his desire for their lovemaking. She was like no other woman he had ever been with. She could summon up emotions in him with just a look, emotions that he found harder and harder to control.
His eyes narrowed. Her eyes were a little puffy. Nothing about her escaped his notice. Had she been crying, or was she just tired? Did it have anything to do with where she had been all day and all night? She hadn’t left them a note or even called to say she wasn’t coming back to the house after her shift at Lucy’s.
Both he and Max had waited for her, but Max was right, she didn’t have to check in with them. It was the first time she had ever been inconsiderate, and he didn’t like it. He knew she was disappointed in them, and they had no one to blame but themselves. She wanted more and deserved more. And damn if he didn’t want to give it to her, and would if he could. But Max had made the rules that he knew made sense. Only his heart didn’t care about what made sense, it was breaking for what he knew he could never have.
Maura was much more than a good fuck even though that was what Max had tried to make her believe. He and Max never fought, but today they had been at one another’s throat all day. He wanted to tell her the truth, but Max said it wasn’t fair to Maura. They were both in love with her, and every fiber of his being was screaming to take her in his arms and dispel her doubts.
“We have to let her go, Toby. There’s no other way. We tell her the truth and she’ll think we’re crazy. We show her, and she’ll be traumatized, to say nothing of wishing she’d never met us.”
“You don’t know that,” Toby shouted back at his brother.
“We’re Shifters, Wolf Shifters, not something women who are not our kind can ever accept. It’s been tried before, and it’s always ended badly. Our own uncles tried it once and they both ended up bitter unhappy men until the day they died. And the woman they loved had some kind of nervous breakdown that they never forgave themselves for causing. Mother said it was ugly.”
“That was them, not us, and we’re talking about Maura. She’s different. She can handle it. I can sense it. Her love is strong enough to overcome it.”
“If only you were right.” Max ran his hand through his hair. “But if you’re not, what then? Do we watch while we either lose her all at once or in bits and pieces as she comes to grip with a world where her own children would be alien to her? If we let her go now, maybe we can all find a life for ourselves in our own worlds, where we belong.”
Toby said softly, “She wouldn’t be afraid of us or think we were freaks of nature. I know it.”
“You don’t know anything, and do you really want to find out? We don’t have the power to make her forget. I can’t do that to her. It’s not a risk I’m not willing to take.”
“Our uncles didn’t prepare the woman they loved, not the way we can and will. You can’t just walk away from love. It’s not fair to any of us.”
“All I know is that our uncles were never the same again, according to Mother. They went into seclusion until Uncle Frederick bought this place. They had to live with the guilt of knowing they caused that woman unbearable pain.”
“I love Maura too much to let her go, Max.”
“You think I don’t love her every bit as much? The difference is that I love her enough to let her go, and if you weren’t being so damn fucking selfish, you would, too. She deserves better than us.”
Toby had never wanted to hit his brother, but at that moment nothing would have pleased him more. What he hated most was that Max was always right. Just this once, he wished his brother could be wrong. Max made him swear to never break their bond of trust concerning Maura’s welfare.
All he could do now was pretend he didn’t care deeply for the only woman he had ever loved. It was killing him to watch her move gracefully from table to table, making sure the candles were lit, when all he wanted was to hold her and kiss away her unhappiness. If she knew he was watching her, she didn’t show it. A few minutes later Max emerged from his office and took his place at the bar to start setting up. Without a word, they worked together to prepare for the night ahead.
Joanie, Max’s number-one admirer, was early. She slid onto her favorite stool at the bar. They both greeted her with a smile.
“What’ll it be tonight?” Max asked.
“Think I’ll try one of those European drinks I’ve heard about, you know, with wine and lemonade.” She slipped out of her jacket, which she draped over the back of her chair. She was wearing a bright pink cocktail dress that exposed her thin arms and ample breasts, which were pushed practically up to her neck.
“What’s with you, Max? You look like hell,” she observed. Turning to Toby, she added, “You look like hell, too. Didn’t you boys get any sleep since I saw you last?”
“We’ve been busy,” Max answered from his kneeling position behind the bar.
“Where the fuck’s the port wine, Toby?”
“I think we’re out. I didn’t see any in the storeroom either.”
“How the fuck did that happen?” Max glared up at his brother.
“Shit happens. You want me to piss some?”
“What I want,” Max said pointedly, drawing himself up to stand in front of his brother, “is for you to do your job and keep track of our stock. That’s what I want.”
“Holy shit, you two,” Joanie said in surprise. “Just give me a vodka and tonic. I never was a big fan of red wine anyway.”
“Sorry, Joanie,” Max apologized, still glaring at Toby. “But when I’m given a job, I do it. I expect the same from my employees.”
“Well, you need to get over it, or it’s going to be a long…” she said and then smiled, taking the edge off of her words, “fucking night.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Toby said under his breath as he turned away from his brother to walk down to the other end of the bar.
The line had been drawn and Toby did his best to stay out of Max’s way for the rest of the night. When Maura walked up to the bar with an order for drinks, they both pretended they didn’t see her. Finally, realizing Max wasn’t going to do it, Toby went over and took her order. He felt the heat of his brother’s stare when he came back to make the drinks. He ignored him. Right now, he couldn’t stand the sight of Max.
Toby watched Maura while she checked the drinks he had made her. She was so damn beautiful. He felt his cock begin to stiffen against
his will. He had to control his urges, at least for a while longer. He noticed Joanie giving Maura the eye before she spoke.
She leaned into Maura. “What’s up with you tonight? I hope you’re in a better mood than those two.” She nodded toward Toby and Max.
Toby saw the look of dread cross Maura’s face. He knew she had been hoping to get away from the bar without having words with the woman. It was no secret that Joanie found Maura an easy target for her stinging brand of humor.
Maura’s eyes went first to Max and then Toby. “They seem fine to me.”
Her lips trembled slightly, summoning his protective instincts. All he wanted was to feel her body against his own as he whispered words of love in her hair and to hear the same from her. That’s all he had ever wanted. Only when he was Bo had he been free to hear her purr loving words into his ear while she stroked him. She loved Bo, so why couldn’t she love their wolf nature? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It didn’t matter. She was never going to be given the opportunity.
To his knowledge, Max had not been able to bring himself to turn into wolf form around her. He knew Max held himself apart from others and always had, even when they were children. Max was the leader, the one everyone went to when they needed advice. It was no secret Toby idolized his brother. Although Max had seemed oblivious to the adoration, he was without a doubt his brother’s best friend. The bond they shared went deep.
When Max had suggested they share a woman’s bed, Toby had been happy. It was the nature of their beast to want to share a woman and it was an honor that Max had wanted to share their passion for women with him. Women may have thought Max was cold and aloof, but that had never stopped them from wanting him in their bed.
Max had introduced him to the erotic pleasures of fucking a woman together. Max had taken him to more than one bar that catered to their tastes. So it had surprised him when he found the Bitches at the Wolf’s Den off limits. Max had said he had no intention of bedding the women that worked for him or frequented the bar. Maura had been the only one to make him break that rule. Joanie’s sharp voice brought him back to the present.
Serving the Wolf's Den (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10