by Jane Jamison
He shrugged, that soft, barely-there smile already calming her. “Just another fun night at the bar. It happens all the time.”
“It does?” She glanced past him and saw Raven and Heather, their backs against another wall, gaping at the scene. Betsy, however, was in the middle of the fight, holding her own, ready to go to war with only a bottle of beer as her weapon.
“It does. But don’t worry about it. I think they fight because they like to.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Sometimes I think that’s the point.”
She turned her head away from him, but he took her chin and made her look at him. Strange how just one glimpse into his eyes made her feel safe and protected.
“Let’s get away from this.”
“Where to, cuz?” Tyler eased up beside them.
Where had he come from? Yet, keeping track of anyone in the mêlée was impossible. He could’ve been standing a few feet away from her, and she wouldn’t have noticed.
“This way,” answered Evan.
Before she knew what was happening, he took her by the hand, and with Tyler forcing his way through the crowd, Evan led her into the hallway leading to the restrooms. Tyler snagged the hair of one of two men fighting there and tossed him toward the main room, sending him stumbling and trying to regain his footing. The shifter finally lost control and landed on his back. The man he’d had in a chokehold snarled and pounced on top of him.
Her heart pounded, and her legs grew weak as Evan pulled her against him. Suddenly, her heart pounded even harder, and she felt weak for an entirely different reason.
The fight and her friends were forgotten in the next moment as Evan’s body pushed against hers. Tyler leaned against the wall, his own eyes flecked with amber. Being with only one of them was overwhelming, but being with two was enough to wipe away all her senses. Her only thought was to wonder where Derek was.
“Are you all right, baby?”
She stared into Evan’s eyes and knew that, if it were humanly possible, she’d jump into those dark pools and find out what lay beneath them. “Uh-huh.” Forming a coherent sentence seemed like more than she could do.
“You seem rattled.” Tyler caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers as though the world around them wasn’t spinning in chaos.
“I’m okay.” She was rattled, all right, but it had nothing to do with the fight and more to with the closeness of their bodies to hers. The idea to offer herself to them was crazy, especially in the hallway of the town’s popular hangout, but the idea stayed. The aroma of them, all musky with leather and sweat thrown in, was intoxicating. Their square jaws, their cut cheekbones, the intensity of their eyes sent a heat rushing through her veins. Her pussy grew wet along with her mouth, and her palms itched to feel the hard-soft texture of their cocks.
“Damn. Took me forever to find you.” Derek strode into the hallway, looking for all the world like a man out for an evening’s stroll. “Glad to see you two got her out of the way.”
He was as sexy as the first day she’d seen him. Her craving for the others morphed to include him. She’d had them once, and she wanted them again. Was she that horny? Or was something else at play?
Something else.
How long had she had a crush on them? How long had she wondered in secret what it would be like to call one of them hers? To think that she could have all three had been too much of a fantasy to hope for. And yet, that fantasy had come to life in the backyard of Miss Charlotte’s home.
They surrounded her, jostling each other for a better position next to her. The bar’s air conditioning, turned down to keep the room cool enough for the drinkers and dancers, couldn’t combat the fire burning her up from the inside out. The internal heat had nothing to do with the conditions inside the bar. If they’d been locked inside a meat locker, she would’ve had droplets of sweat on her brow.
“We’ll always take care of you, babe.” Tyler kissed her neck, stoking the internal fire even more. “No matter what else happens, you can count on us.”
She did. Whenever they were around, she felt safer and more at ease than she had in a very long time. Maybe in forever.
Derek pushed Evan back and slid his hand over the swell of her breast. “You look good enough to eat.”
How was she supposed to respond to that? “Thank you” didn’t seem right. Instead, she answered the call of her heart, cupping the back of his neck and tugging him to her. His kiss was intense right from the start, claiming her mouth, even though she’d been the one to initiate the kiss. Derek’s tongue lashed through her mouth then left, giving way for his nibbles to her lips.
She leaned against the wall and gave in to her urges. Let the world go on without them. She would have the men of her fantasies again, here, there, or anywhere else.
Their bodies seemed to melt together, the three of them against hers. Where she started and where they began blurred. Their hands flowed over her body as hers desperately gripped their hard forms. If she could’ve grown more hands and been able to feel each of them at once, she would have.
Moaning, she rested her head against the wall and let the wonderful sensations coursing through her take over. The sounds of the fight grew dim, pushed to the recesses of her consciousness.
Kiss after kiss came her way. Intense then soft. Soft then feverish. She could tell them apart simply by the feel of their lips pressed against hers.
Touches, quick and needy, then slow and determined, slipped beneath her clothes, putting warmth against warmth. Words filled with compliments and promises drifted between them, and she added her own. Being with them was right and exactly what she’d always yearned for yet hadn’t known she’d needed. Before meeting them, she’d felt alone. Now that she’d met them, now that she’d given her body to them, and possibly her heart, she would be lonely whenever they weren’t around. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying.
What have I done?
The question whispered through her and was gone with the swipe of a tongue along her collarbone, the press of a thumb against her nipple, and the possessive cupping of a hand over her mons.
Still, she wouldn’t have changed a thing. She’d lain with them that first time, becoming addicted to them. They were a habit she didn’t want to kick.
“What the fuck are you dogs doing? Get a fucking room, why don’t ya?”
Emeline startled back to awareness. Aware of being half undressed. Aware of the men, their eyes blazing with hunger and something she couldn’t comprehend. Aware of the fight still raging on. But mostly aware of the man standing outside the men’s restroom. Bill Neelson was dressed in his usual attire of jeans and shirt, but the impression he gave was one of a man who prided himself in his appearance, even when that pride wasn’t merited.
“Oh shit.” She hurried to pull her clothes together, even as the men blocked her from his view.
“It’s none of your damn business, Neelson.” Derek’s voice was a step above a snarl.
“Fucking feline.”
She stared at Tyler. What did any of this have to do with a cat? Did Neelson remind Tyler of a cat?
Neelson’s eyes narrowed, putting them, especially her, under a hard scrutiny. His appraisal was searching yet haughty. Curious and judgmental. It didn’t make much sense, and maybe she only thought so because of what Tyler had said, but something about the way Neelson looked at them reminded her of a cat her mother had loved. Emeline had never cared for the cat. Instead, she’d preferred their dog, Buster, to the aloof tabby.
Neelson seems sneaky.
She’d been curious and skeptical the first time she’d met him, but now she was even more suspicious of him. Why did Miss Charlotte trust him? Unless, of course, he’d smooth-talked her into giving him control? If he’d caught her on a “bad” day, she might’ve not known what she was doing. Knowing her, even if she’d found out later and realized she’d made a mistake, she might’ve been too proud to admit her error in judgment.
“Not th
at I give a damn who you fuck, but don’t do it here. Damn, it’s bad enough my kind has nowhere else to go for a cold brew. We don’t want to look at you hounds getting your jollies off.”
“Nah, you’d rather start fights.” Tyler glanced toward the others. The fight was starting to wind down. Most of those who had entered into the fray stood around nursing their injuries and pressing napkins to their skin to stop the bleeding.
“Yeah, as if your kind doesn’t throw the first punch most of the time. We all know how you guys like a good ass-kicking.”
Their kind? What did Neelson mean?
Yet she wasn’t about to asked. Instead, she hoped he’d move on and forget he ever saw her.
“Don’t push it,” warned Evan. “You and yours are outnumbered.”
“That doesn’t bother us any. We can hold our own. Better, as long as the fight’s fair.”
“We don’t fight dirty. Not like a fucking attorney.” Tyler crossed his arms, a silent challenge.
She didn’t like Neelson any more than they did, but to not like the man because of his profession was ridiculous. What would they think if they knew she was a lawyer? Would they suddenly dislike her? She’d run into people who didn’t like attorneys before, but their dislike held a harder edge than most. Was their dislike of Neelson just because he was a lawyer? Or was there more to it? Did they know something about the man that would help her protect Miss Charlotte?
She hated to do so, but she had to speak up for the profession. “Not all attorneys are shady, you know? That’s a common misconception.” Her men turned her way, their eyes sparkling. “I’m just saying.”
Neelson’s laugh didn’t help her like him any better. The sound was filled with derision and a superiority that turned her stomach. “Listen to your woman. At least she’s got some sense in her.”
“Don’t talk about her.”
“But he didn’t say anything wrong, Tyler.” Yet, she had to admit, she didn’t like having Neelson’s support.
The men bristled, and for a moment, she felt the air around her change as though their tension had thickened the air. “Okay, everyone, calm down. We don’t want to start another fight.”
“Again, she has more sense than you hounds.”
“Why does he keep calling you dogs and hounds?”
Neelson’s eyebrows lifted higher as he glanced from Derek to Tyler and finally to Evan. “Oh. I get it. Too soon, huh?”
“Stay out of it, Neelson,” warned Derek.
She had to get them to calm down. The more they talked, the closer they eased toward Neelson. Either the man was itching for a fight or he was too foolish to know when to shut his trap.
“Are you still in charge of Miss Charlotte’s accounts? You control her money, right?” Fate didn’t have a bank. Most of its residents kept cash on hand and the bulk of their money in Atlanta banks. At least that was what Miss Charlotte had told her. Keeping cash instead of using debit and credit cards was just another example of how the people of Fate differed from most people.
Neelson stepped back as though she’d thrown a punch at him. “Yeah. So?”
“You don’t remember me, do you? I’m Emeline Newson. I’m Miss Charlotte’s companion.”
His shifty eyes narrowed even more. “Yeah, I remember you now. But that doesn’t explain how you know about her financial affairs. What business is it of yours, anyway? You’re supposed to make her tea and keep her happy. Nothing more.”
“She doesn’t have to explain anything to you.” Derek moved forward again, putting him within a couple of feet of Neelson. The man drew back his lips.
Did he just hiss? Now she knew she was letting her mind run away with her.
Neelson leaned to the side, looking past Derek. “Look, girl, you leave the old lady’s affairs to me. I’m taking real good care of her.”
She would’ve bet her last dollar he was lying. “I’ll do whatever Miss Charlotte wants me to do.” Yet, even if Miss Charlotte asked her to stay out of her affairs, she doubted she would. It was her responsibility to protect her, and as far as she was concerned, that now included her financial wellbeing, too.
Neelson pointed an accusing finger. “Butt the hell out, girl.”
Emeline didn’t see Derek move. One moment, Neelson was looking at her, and in the next, he was up against the wall with Derek’s hand around his throat.
“Don’t you ever talk to our woman that way. Not if you want to keep your skin on.”
Our woman. She smothered back a smile. Is that really how they think about me?
Neelson struggled to get away, but he was no match for Derek. “Turn me loose, damn it, or I’ll sue your ass.”
He could press assault charges against Derek. Emeline pushed past Tyler and Evan who hadn’t moved. Both were, in fact, sporting grins.
“Turn him loose, Derek. Now.”
Derek didn’t want to. His sneer said as much.
“Please, Derek.”
Finally, he did as she’d asked. Neelson landed on his feet as sure-footed as an alley cat.
“You’d better leave while you can.” Evan’s tone was low and filled with menace.
Neelson skirted past them then turned back as soon as he was at the entrance to the main room. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again, you fucking dogs. You remember that.”
A snarl rumbled out of Tyler as he moved toward Neelson. The lawyer, however, was smart enough to know when to run. With a surprising quickness, Neelson was gone.
“What just happened?”
A meaningful glance passed between the men.
“Nothing. Just a little disagreement, is all.”
She gaped at Derek. “A little disagreement? Are you kidding me?”
“We’ve had worse.” Tyler adopted the smile that could charm a worm out of an apple.
“I don’t understand.” She took in the rest of the room and tried to find her friends but couldn’t. Her mind whirled with questions. “I’m confused. Why did he call you hounds and dogs?” She waited, but they didn’t answer. “And why do some people’s eyes change color? And their teeth? I’ve known some people who have had large canine teeth, but nothing like what I saw tonight. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Was Evan really going to deny that something was different about them and the town? “Oh, come on. Don’t act dumb. If there’s one thing you’re not, it’s dumb.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “No. I am definitely not dumb.”
“Sugar, calm down. We don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She hadn’t been upset before, but now she was getting angry. “Bullshit. Why are you lying to me?”
Again, they didn’t answer. Instead, they all adopted the same, noncommittal expression.
“Seriously? The three of you are going to stand there and act like you don’t know what I’m talking about?”
She crossed her arms and waited, knowing it was useless.
“Fine. If you’re not going to tell me, then there’s no reason why I should stick around.” She pivoted around, ready to leave, but Tyler grabbed her arm.
“Emeline, take it easy.”
She jerked her arm away. How could she trust them with her heart when they didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth? “Don’t tell me to take it easy. And don’t grab me again.”
“Em—”
“No. Not until you three are ready to tell me what’s going on.” She gave them a moment, but only a moment, before storming down the hallway toward the side exit.
Chapter Five
Evan stuck his hands in his pockets and watched Emeline hurry down the hallway. As disappointing as it was to see her leave, watching her bottom shimmy and shake as she left was a nice consolation prize. Her hair bounced around her shoulders, and her small frame moved with the grace of a sure-footed gazelle. He could still feel the warmth of her body on his skin.
“Boys, you suck at this.”
Tyler shot him a har
d look. “I didn’t hear you saying much. Don’t blame the players when you’re not even in the game.”
“I am in it. I’m just playing a better game than you two are.”
Having cousins who were werewolves was rough. Although he understood that their inner wolves sometimes took over their emotions, he’d still hoped they’d gain more control over their inner beasts. Instead, they’d shifted enough to show the amber in their eyes and the fangs in their mouths. They shouldn’t let Neelson or any werecat bother them so much. Vampires were calmer and more logical in their natures and understood that werewolves and werecats had a lot in common. He’d never say as much to his cousins. They’d no doubt turn their wolves loose and go all furry on his ass.
“How are you playing a better game?” asked Derek, his irritation showing in the tense way he moved. “You’ve been right there with us every time.”
True enough, although he hated to admit it. “Yes, but I know when to back off.”
“Like with Neelson?” Tyler strode out of the hallway and made his way through the rubble of broken chairs and the shards of beer bottles lying on the floor.
“Yes, like with Neelson. You’ve got to know when to push and when to back off.”
“That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve smelled in a long time.” Derek led the way to the bar. “You were just as ready to tear Neelson’s head off as we were. How’s that for pushing it?”
“Maybe so, but I hid my feelings a hell of a lot better than you did.” He pulled out his wallet and slapped a twenty-dollar bill on the counter to pay for the three beers the bruised and battered bartender put in front of them.
Evan checked out the rest of the bar via the huge mirror behind the counter. He found Betsy Cramer fast enough and Raven Reynolds had left early on. So where was Heather Dill? He frowned. Emeline’s friends weren’t their responsibility, but the men of Fate, regardless of what they were, would always keep each other’s women safe. More than likely the Wilson men had taken care of Heather.
“What do you think she knows about Neelson?”
Evan had wondered the same thing as Tyler. “I don’t know, but it’s obvious it had something to do with Miss Charlotte’s finances.”