Tempest

by Rose, Dahlia

  “For peace and to be able to run freely in our wolf form.” Alex stepped closer. “And now you’re here.”

  Tempest put her hand on his chest and felt his heat. His chest was hard and smooth beneath the thin cotton shirt he had put on before driving her to her house.

  “So I’m here and you’re here. What happens now?” She tilted her head up to his.

  “Damn, baby. I kiss you long and hard,” he muttered.

  She closed her eyes as his lips met hers and gave a soft moan as he tempted her mouth open and slipped his tongue inside. He could kiss. Lord, he could kiss. It ignited a fire in her belly that spread like wildfire throughout her body. And when he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, Tempest accepted willingly. She felt his hand move from her neck into her hair. With a quick move, he had her pressed against the wall of the house. A low growl escaped him and he lifted her off her feet and pinned her to the wall with his body. She felt his hardening cock between her thighs as he moved against her sensuously. Tempest moaned. He made her ache and want more.

  “Did you start the party without me?” Dominic drawled.

  Alex lifted his head from hers, but didn’t look over to his friend. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on her and ran a finger over her lips.

  “You’re just in time,” Alex murmured. “Kiss her and see that she belongs to us.”

  Her feet barely touched the floor of the patio before Dominic had her pinned again. He lifted one of her legs around his waist before cupping her ass cheek and taking her lips. His tongue penetrated her mouth and his hips mimicked a thrust that would send his cock deep into her core. But the barrier of their clothes kept that intimacy away, yet the sensation caused her to whimper. One kiss didn’t nullify the other; instead, having tasted them both, Tempest wanted more. She wanted to feel Alex’s hand on her skin. Dominic’s cock buried inside her. Alex’s mouth against her pussy, tasting her. Her wanton thoughts and the feeling of Dominic rubbing against her center, the friction of cloth against her clit, made her come. She arched and tensed, crying out against his lips before her body shuddered.

  “Oh, fuck, baby, I love it,” Dominic said against her mouth. He pressed harder against her and she bit her lip to hold back another moan. “I want more, baby. Do it again.”

  “Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” she gasped and pressed her face against his chest, embarrassed. “That’s never happened before. I feel like… Oh, shoot.”

  Alex chuckled softly, now standing next to where Dominic had her pinned to the wall. “You were excited; you came. There’s no need to apologize for it. Hell, I wanted to see it happen.”

  Dominic sighed. “I should move. I really need to step away, but my body is not obeying me. Alex, can you help me out?”

  His friend did as he asked and pushed him away. Tempest instantly missed their heat as the wind blew cold rain onto the patio.

  “Come inside. Let’s get out of the elements,” Alex said. “I can actually make pretty good hot chocolate, except for that one time I burned the milk.”

  Tempest knew the change in conversation was to take all their minds off the need building between them. Inside, she sat in front of the fireplace and sipped the cup of hot chocolate that Alex had brought her.

  “Show me your wolves,” she said impulsively.

  Alex, who was lying on the sofa shirtless, his bare feet hanging over the side, was reading a book. Dominic was sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa, tackling a huge two thousand piece puzzle on the glass surface of the coffee table. He also had only pants on—no socks, shoes or shirt. She figured out pretty quickly that they didn’t like clothes much because as soon as they came into the house they kicked off their shoes and socks before practically ripping off their shirts and throwing them to the side.

  “Why?” Alex asked.

  “I’ve only seen you in my visions. It’s your second nature and if we’re together I need to know both sides,” Tempest said. “I won’t be afraid. You can be free in front of me. Shed your human skin for a while. I can see you both want to.”

  “The rain has kept us from running like we usually do,” Dominic admitted.

  “Instead of doing a puzzle or reading which I know you’re actually not,” she said with a sigh, “take the shape of your wolf.”

  Alex and Dominic stood and they watched her as they took off their clothes. She forced herself to take a breath and then another because their nakedness was so magnificent. Their bodies were sculpted and hard, muscles rippled and bunched under their skin. She wanted to reach out and trace their skin with her fingertips just as much as she wanted to see them transform to their second nature. Alex bent forward and a low growl escaped his lips. She watched his body ripple as a shiver ran down the length of his back.

  Dominic’s lips pealed back and a snarl escaped him. Soon, she saw legs change and muscles reform and fur replace skin. Only seconds ago, two men stood before her and now they were two of the largest wolves she had ever seen. Wolves were not animals of the bayou; yet, because the land was so vast, no one would think twice if the were seen. Both were amazing. Unable to resist, she moved towards them and touched their fur. It was so soft she caressed them down the length of their backs. Alex, the black wolf, nudged her shoulder and she laughed huskily. She rubbed him one more time and pressed her face into the fur of his neck. Dominic, not to be outdone, padded forward and she gave him the same affection. They lay at her feet and she moved to where Dominic was sitting moments before and began to work on his puzzle. She hummed a tune that was in her head and both wolves seemed content to lie next to her and place their large heads on her lap. Tempest was amazed at how at ease she felt in this new, strange situation. Sitting in the living room with two wolves was quite unusual to say the least. She reached down to stroke their heads and grinned. Luckily, for them, she was a very unusual girl.

  * * * *

  “We need to go into town and pick up some groceries,” Tempest said on Saturday afternoon. She had the pantry door open and was looking through the food they had. “I want to make homemade chicken pot pies and you guys only have canned vegetables and no chicken.”

  “Cormina on a Saturday afternoon. What fun,” Alex drawled, as he shut the door to the fridge, a bottle of chilled Snapple in his hand. “What will the townspeople think when we all show up together?”

  “You know what I think? Fuck 'em,” Tempest said mildly. “I’ll do the shopping and you two go do what you need to do. Take a run and stretch your legs.”

  “No, we’ll go with you.” Dominic leaned casually against the kitchen island. “I’d love to see their faces when we come strolling through.”

  Alex grinned. “How about we stop for lunch at the Wallow?”

  “Why, Mr. Wakefield, isn’t that just looking for trouble?” Tempest teased.

  “Exactly,” Alex laughed.

  “No, we won’t be stopping at the Wallow to poke at the bears. We’re going to the store and then back home. I’ll even get ingredients to make you a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting,” Tempest said.

  Dominic pulled her into his arms and pressed kisses against her neck, making her laugh. “She is trying to make us fat and complacent, Alex.”

  Dominic kissed her hard and then Alex came up behind her and bit her nape gently before saying huskily, “I know; everything about her is so delicious.”

  “You can run off your dinner later, and then maybe they’ll be more than just cake for dessert tonight. But, first, errands.” Tempest felt their closeness and how it made her throb between her legs.

  “Don’t make promises you might not want to keep,” Alex said.

  She leaned her head back against his shoulder so he could claim a kiss as well. Dominic’s hands were caressing her hips and he moved them up to cup her breasts. There would be no such thing as a refusal later. Her body wanted the pleasure they were offering. Finally, Alex lifted his head away from her and all three of them were breathing heavy.

  “I think we’d
better go get those groceries before we don’t leave this house at all,” Dominic’s voice was husky with desire.

  “I’m going to have you both, of that you can be sure.” She licked her lips. “I’ll enjoy every second of it too.”

  As they moved away, she again missed their warmth. They climbed the stairs to the master bedroom and she sat on the edge of the bed watching them dress. Her gaze roamed over every inch of their bodies until Dominic said with a chuckle, “Keep that up and remember what I said before? The grocery store and dinner will be forgotten for the day because we’ll be spending it in bed.”

  She winked at them and left the room and made her way downstairs. Soon, they followed her down and they all piled into their Land Rover.

  “How do you guys go out on dates if you have only one car?” Tempest asked.

  “We don’t date around here. Too complicated. And we both agreed not to bring anyone in that we couldn’t reveal our wolf to,” Alex said from the back seat.

  “Could you see any of the women in Cormina keeping this secret? Hell, even dating us?” Dominic said dryly. “But I have a bike and a sports car in the garage out back.”

  “Plus, I have another truck,” Alex added.

  “I grew up here, and there are a few nice people. None that stand up to the bullies, of course, but whatever. People live their lives the best they can,” Tempest said with a sigh. “The sheriff is old and the deputies grew up with the assholes. It sucks.”

  “We can always leave, travel,” Alex said and leaned forward to squeeze her shoulders. “When it becomes too much, we’ll pack up and go live on a beach or cozy up in a cabin in the mountains.”

  “And on the days when they’re in our faces, we get the satisfaction of putting them in ground, face first,” Dominic said. “You’re not alone anymore. None of us are.”

  Their words left a glow in her heart that had her smiling when they drove into the small town of Cormina. The streets were damp and large puddles where the drains had overflowed were on every corner of main street. Of course there were only a few streets that were actually paved in the small bayou town. To Tempest, that was part of its charm, civilization that broached the wilds of the Louisiana swamplands. Before her visions had ever started, she was just another kid—summers were spent with other kids out at the swimming hole, swinging out into the water on the tire swing. Winters there were never that cold. Around that time, her momma and daddy used to take them to the local football games. They would sit in the stands, covered in blankets and drinking hot tea or cocoa from a thermos.

  When the residents of Cormina felt that you belonged it was all sugar cookies and lemonade. But as soon as the gossip spread, you were branded an outcast, and the sweetness stuck in their throat and they only spoke to you when they had to; they even tried to steer clear of you. The way they said, “Suga,” to your face made Tempest grit her teeth because as soon as your back was turned the whispers started. Dominic whipped the Land Rover in a parking space that had a large puddle underneath. She felt the stares when Alex got out, opened her door, and lifted her over the puddle easily. Just that alone would be blabbed around before the afternoon ended, and she would be naked on the hood of the car after it was told a few times. The automatic doors swished open and whoever was on their way out stepped back as they went in. Alex raised an eyebrow in amusement when two women scrambled away, almost taking out a soda pop display. Tempest was highly aware that all eyes were on them. Usually, she would move quickly to get what she needed and get out. But Dominic and Alex took their time, talking with her as they picked up food items and soon she was oblivious to the whispers and stares. She had two amazing men by her side who had eyes only for her, so the residents of Cormina could kick rocks.

  Fresh chicken breasts, carrots, peas, celery, cream of chicken, onions, and ingredients to bake the pie crust and red velvet cake. She looked over the other items in the cart, which also included gummy bears, Oreo cookies and gallons of ice cream. They had more junk food than anything else, including the sweetest cereal brands you could find on the shelf. What they had in the cart could put a bunch of kids on a sugar high for weeks.

  Dominic noticed her looking into the cart. “We burn more calories than the average person. This is our fuel. We snack between meals.”

  “This is a sugar coma,” Tempest replied. Alex dropped a package of double chocolate macadamia nut cookies into the cart.

  “Why am I making red velvet cake if you have all this?”

  Alex laughed. “That cake won’t last the night.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m going to be using my Tae Bo tape more often around you two.”

  Dominic took the cart and pushed it up to the register for the young girl to begin checking them out. It all went well until they stepped outside and Bubba just happened to be in the parking lot, leaning against his truck. The deer hunting camo cap he wore was grungy and, as usual, the shirt he wore was sleeveless. There was grease on his jeans because he worked at the garage and the look on his face was vicious. He was looking for trouble.

  “Well, looky here, the witch with the outsiders.” He spit a black stream from his mouth and Tempest’s stomach rolled. How Lorna-Sue let him kiss her, she would never understand. “You tappin' that there? Trust me, Tempest is a sweet piece.”

  She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “How would you know? Have I been dry heaving and vomiting all over this town? That’s the only clue anyone would have of me being with you. Because the thought of it would make me lose every meal I eat for the rest of my life.”

  Alex’s breath hissed between his teeth. “Ouch. That’s harsh.”

  “No, what’s harsh is the wilted pickle he has in his pants. I doubt Lorna-Sue has seen it under that gut since they were in high school,” Tempest added with a laugh.

  Bubba knocked on the back of the truck and his friends who were in the back jumped from the bed of the vehicle and stood next to him.

  “How about you come on over here and get on your knees? Let me show you what you can find,” he sneered.

  “You can try to make me like you did in high school, but that didn’t work out very well for you, did it? And this time around I’m not a little kid anymore and I can defend myself,” Tempest replied.

  “Plus, if you take one step closer, I will give you a come to Jesus moment when I break your face.” Dominic’s voice was calm but deadly.

  “It would give us infinite pleasure, so how about you try?” Alex added. When he smiled Tempest swore she could see the wolf in his face, ready to fight, actually hoping for Bubba and his friends to react.

  “We don’t care for outsiders,” Bubba snarled.

  “And we don’t care what you like or don’t like.” Alex stepped forward until he was nose to nose with Bubba. “Walk away, little man, or you’ll see what we can do. Let’s make sure that your face is not ground beef when your boys here take you home to your woman.”

  The sound of a siren blared loud and then turned off as the deputy rolled up beside them in the car, but this did not make Alex move a bit. The man in the uniform was Gary Porter; another man who had graduated high school two years before she did. He looked uneasily at Bubba and Alex who were still standing nose to nose. He opened the car door to get out, hesitated, then shut the door again. Gary was tall but rail thin and Tempest could practically see him trembling with the possibility that he might have to break up a fight and apparently decided that staying in the car was the safer option for him.

  “We got trouble here?” Gary asked.

  “Not from my end, Deputy, but it seems some of your residents don’t like that we’re outsiders or in the company of Tempest,” Alex said, but never even glanced over. He kept his eyes fixed on Bubba who was now visibly shaken that Alex was not backing down. “It seems he thinks trying to rape her when she was sixteen means that he has some kind of right to disparage her in public.”

  “This guy better get outta my face before I shove my hand down his throat,
” Bubba said.

  “Try it, and let’s see who does what,” Alex said quietly and smiled. “Go ahead. I’m sure the deputy won’t mind. I’ll even give you the first punch.”

  “Walk away, both of you,” Gary stammered.

  “Another time, huh, Bubba?” Dominic put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “We’ll be seeing you later, I’m sure. Come on, Tempest, let’s go home.”

  “Yeah, take your witch whore home,” Bubba called out.

  Dominic moved faster than Alex this time and he grabbed Bubba by the collar. Tempest made a sound of surprise when Dominic lifted the two hundred-plus pounds until the tips of Bubba’s muddy shoes were scraping the ground.

  “You’ll apologize to the lady now,” Dominic growled. He shook Bubba like he weighed nothing. “I said now!”

  Even Gary was gaping in amazement and when Bubba stammered, “I’m sorry, okay?” the entire crowd that had gathered gasped. Bubba was a bully and to have him actually be manhandled and apologize was something no one had ever seen before.