She started to unzip her wallet almost unbearably slowly, lifting her perfectly-plucked eyebrows as she asked, “Why don’t we head in the house, and I can give you a little extra—”
Grimm’s head whipped up, his hands freezing as they kept wiping at the rag. Maia’s scent carried through the air long before she rounded the street corner, her eyes instantly locking on Alanna. Did Alanna stand too close to him? Was she as openly suggestive as her tone implied? Grimm did not want a scene, especially not in the front yard.
Alanna was oblivious to Maia as Maia walked towards them, hopping the white picket fence and moving over the grass. Maia made not a sound, the perfect predator, her gaze narrowed on Alanna. Now was not the time for her to play alpha.
“Grimm,” Maia practically growled his name, causing Alanna to jerk closer to him, holding her wallet and the four large bills close to her chest. “I’m finished at the diner, so Alarick sent me…” Her voice trailed off in a blatant and planned way, and she cocked her head, studying the woman. “Who’re you?” In the sun, her grey eyes were dark and stormy. She wore tan pants and a shirt she hadn’t been wearing earlier.
And…Grimm realized when the breeze blew against him, Maia had been with Farkas. His packmate’s smell was faint but present, though not as strong as Alarick’s was. As he looked at her, he wondered if she’d given herself to Farkas sometime earlier. His thoughts roamed so fast and so far he nearly forgot Alanna stood between them, his money still clutched by her manicured fingers.
“I am Alanna Monrose,” she said. “And you must be the runaway the Wolf brothers are adopting.”
Maia smiled, but it was more like flashing fangs. “I’m not a child. I don’t need to be adopted. I am a grown-ass woman, much like yourself.” Her eyes returned to Grimm, and still he could not decide—was she jealous? Or was she only acting as she was because she was Maia? “I’ll be inside,” she said. “Bark if you need me.”
After Maia had disappeared into the house, Alanna set a hand against the base of her neck, the hand that didn’t hold his money, saying, “My, my. What a rambunctious one. I’ve seen the type before. I’d be careful with her. I know you all are only doing what you think is right, but sometimes—”
“Let me stop you before you say anything else,” Grimm finally spoke. “Maia is a kind person, and she’s been through the wringer. She doesn’t need you looking down on her or poking fun at her situation.” It was perhaps the most he’d spoken to Alanna this entire time. “And my brothers and I can handle anything that comes our way, and then some. So the next time you’re about to give advice, I want you to stop and think about that.” He shot out a hand, still kind of dirty, but really there wasn’t much more he could do besides bathing. “The four hundred, Mrs. Monrose.”
The woman mumbled something under her breath, pushing the cash to Grimm before storming to her sedan’s driver side. She was clearly not happy with the turn of events, though he had to wonder if he’d ever done anything to hint that something might ever happen between them. He was pretty sure he hadn’t.
Not as if it mattered much, though. Alanna was a married woman, and even if Grimm wasn’t a wolf, his morals wouldn’t let it happen.
After watching her drive off, Grimm picked up all his tools and arranged them in the garage. The house had a two-car wide garage that was also extra deep, which made for ample space for Alarick’s truck and all of Grimm’s tools. Having two vehicles would’ve been nice, but impractical and expensive. Grimm never went anywhere, and when he did, he could either walk there or he was with Alarick and Farkas.
Now that Maia was here…maybe he should start putting money away for a second car. Alarick’s truck had a backseat, but it wasn’t realistic for the long run, especially with Maia—Grimm wasn’t anticipating anything, but he could hope that eventually she would want to be their mate, couldn’t he?
Maybe it was wrong of him to think it.
Just because she now smelled of Farkas and Alarick did not mean anything. He should not get his hopes up, regardless of how badly his wolf wanted her. Grimm would not let his wolf free again. Running with her was probably as close as he would get to her.
But, damn it, if that wasn’t jealousy in her eyes when she came upon them in the driveway, what the hell was it? Grimm was not good at reading people. He was in tune with wolves, but little else.
Once his mess was cleaned up and the driveway sprayed off with the hose, he went inside the house, not sure what he would find. Would Maia be sitting on the couch, waiting for an explanation of some kind? Ridiculous, because while they were packmates, they were not together. He owed her no explanation, not only because nothing happened, but also because she was not his mate.
Even if he wanted her to be.
The instant he entered the living room, he heard the shower running. The bathroom light was on, its water running even though no one was using it. Maia stood in the hall, her arms cross, leaning her shoulder on the wall that he’d pressed her up against when they first met. His wolf still wanted to do more than that, but he wrestled the beast into submission. He would not let himself go again.
“How’s your girlfriend?” Maia asked, her lips curving into a smirk. Farkas often smirked when he thought he’d said something funny, but he never pulled it off nearly as well as she did in this moment.
Grimm sighed. She knew Alanna was not his girlfriend; Maia only wanted to get on his nerves. It would not work.
“I heard you talking to her out there. Chatty Cathy. How come you don’t talk to me like that? Your voice is so deep and manly, makes it hard for me not to swoon the second it graces my ears,” Maia said, more than talkative for the both of them. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her chest seeming even larger than it was due to the tight shirt. Though it covered more than her dress, Grimm liked this outfit better.
Maia’s eyes ate him up. “You look good dirty, Grimm.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that, because he didn’t know if it was some kind of joke or insult. After dealing with Farkas for so many years, Grimm had lost the ability to differentiate between jokes and more serious things, so he often settled for treating everything seriously.
When he said nothing, she laughed. “God, you are ridiculous sometimes, aren’t you?” Maia stepped away from the wall, reaching back to yank out the elastic band that kept her hair close to the nape of her neck. She shook her head, her long hair tumbling down over her shoulders, a small kink in their lengths. “I would say I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned it, but knowing you, you’ve noticed it and refuse to say anything.”
What did she speak of? The fact that she wore Farkas’s scent too? What in the world did she expect him to say? He would never congratulate her, because…because—well, because he was jealous.
Yes, Grimm was jealous. Only a little, but the hint of the envious emotion was there inside him. Jealous because she chose Alarick and Farkas over him. He was not jealous because the others had her; he was jealous because they had her, and he didn’t.
“You’re either oblivious, or you’re hiding it well,” Maia said. “I started the shower for you, you dirty wolf.”
He squinted his eyes, uncertainty drawn across every muscle of his. Why would she start a shower for him? What game was she trying to play? Maia was only making this harder than what it had to be, unless…
Grimm startled at the thought.
Unless she was coming to him now, to…
No, she couldn’t be. Was she? Why the hell was he acting like an ignorant boy who didn’t know which way was up and which was down? Grimm felt his stomach harden, and he walked to the hall, ignoring the damned smirk that lingered on those ruby lips of hers. He would not allow himself to get excited before he knew.
Grimm headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him out of habit. But the door did not close; it caught on a foot—her foot. Maia leaned in, using her hip to reopen it. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”
He glanced at the runnin
g shower and back at her. He would make her say it, just to be safe. His wolf did not need to be needlessly excited again.
“Get in the shower, Grimm,” Maia whispered. “First, though, I think you should take off your clothes.” Her eyes twinkled, a mischievousness resting there which did not reside in her gaze before. She’d grown more comfortable here, with them.
Grimm let out a grunt. He didn’t mean to. It just sort of slipped out.
His body was free of its oily, grimy clothes within a minute, and he was not bashful, did not even try to hide his growing erection. Grimm stepped into the shower, letting the hot water course over his shoulders and down his back. The curtain was drawn to the side, allowing Maia an unobstructed view.
She must’ve liked what she saw, because the smile on Maia’s full lips only widened.
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Maia
Grimm was…God, Maia couldn’t even put it into words. The manliest man she’d ever seen. The manliest man with the biggest, most defined muscles that made everyone swoon, regardless of whether they were male, female, or somewhere in between. Counting his abs would take more than one hand’s worth of fingers, and his pectorals were probably as big as her boobs—though his were all muscle and chiseled into a much manlier shape.
Did Maia mention he was manly? Because he was. Totally drool-worthy, and Maia was never the type to ever put the words drool and worthy beside each other in the same sentence. It was never a thought she’d had until now. Until she stood, watching as he washed himself, getting all that grease and sweat off him.
All with a hard dick, too.
He ran a hand over his face, running it upwards and snaking it through his hair, combing its wet lengths back as he turned to face her, his dark, smoldering gaze demanding. Grimm could say much with only a look, and this particular look was no different. It said, are you just going to watch? Aren’t you coming in?
How could Maia say no? She wanted to tear off her own clothes the moment Grimm took off his and stepped into the tub, the very second that water started to course down his strong, powerful body.
She’d seen it before; his chest when he had her pinned against the wall, and the rest of him before the run, but it was so very different when sex was in the air and his cock stood erect. It was even longer when hard, and maybe it was because she was horny, but she couldn’t wait to have him inside of her, to know what he felt like, to feel so full she wanted to scream.
Maia pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it on the vanity countertop. The bra was next, then her pants and panties after unzipping her boots. She moved closer to the shower, stopping just outside it as she asked, “Do you want me to come in?”
A low rumble left Grimm’s chest as he said not a word; he only reached a wet hand out, grabbed her arm, and yanked her in. For all that gusto, though, once she stood in the shower with him, feeling the hot water beating down her back, he could only stare at her, his hand slow to slide off her arm.
She turned her head up to look at him, and she meant up. Her head had to angle upwards for her to meet his gaze. He was, quite possibly, the tallest man she’d ever met. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall. Basketball player height, only with the muscles to match the frame. Impressive, solid. There were so many words Maia could’ve used to describe him in that moment, yet none were strong enough.
She moved closer to him, drawing her hands down his chest—his chest, which was level with her forehead. How in the world was anyone allowed to be so ridiculously tall? Grimm put the tall, dark, and brooding characters to shame. No one had anything on this wolf.
Grimm was a man, there was no denying it. His chest was peppered with dark hair, the same hair lining his arms. A trail of it went down, past his belly button and stopping only when it reached the base of his thick, long cock.
Touching him was almost too much, though being with him like this pacified her wolf a bit. Not enough, because her beast wanted to be claimed, but the rest would have to wait until later. Until Maia fully came to terms with it. Right now, she had to focus on Grimm. On Grimm and what they were about to do.
“How’s your wolf doing now?” Maia asked in a whisper, most of it drowned out by the sounds of the showerhead. But his hearing was good; he knew what she said.
Grimm looked like he was going to answer, but before his mouth opened, he grabbed her, hoisted her up in his arms by wrapping one under her ass and the other across her back, and pressed his mouth on hers. His stubble would leave red marks, but she didn’t care. His kisses were hungry and hard, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she felt his chest humming with a dominant growl.
This wolf was not the alpha, but apparently he could act like one, should the situation call for it.
Turning, Grimm moved his hands so that he held one of her legs in each. He pressed her against the wall, the shower surround cold compared to the heat of the water and the sheer hotness that was his body. Maia did not mind being the meat in this sandwich, not at all. This was a position both she and her wolf liked. Suddenly, being thrown against a wall did not feel so stifling, so awful.
In fact, Maia couldn’t have felt better.
Her tongue found its way into his mouth, and Maia lost herself to the kiss. She let it all go, throwing everything she had behind it. If she was going to stay here, with them, they each had to believe that she wanted to be here. And, damn it, Grimm was going to know that she had long gotten over that incident in the hall, overcame her suspicion and her self-doubt. Her wolf desired them, and she liked them, too. What point was it to continue to deny it? It would only make them all miserable.
Maia was glad she’d thrown caution to the wind, glad she said fuck it. This pack was so unlike her old one, each of its members so…different. Human, almost. They were each their own person, with quirks and likes and dislikes. They were not a slave to the will of the pack. Packs were not supposed to stomp down rising dissent—wolves were supposed to agree by nature, get along with each other. The alpha should never rule out of fear.
Alarick, Farkas, and Grimm…they might’ve been misfits when it came to wolves, but to her, they were everything. They were home. Maia had somehow stumbled upon a tiny, Podunk town in the middle of nowhere and found family, a pack.
Her mates.
Before Maia could break their kiss and tell him to just get it in her, Grimm broke their connection, turning off the water and making her extremely confused. She could only out a single word “What” before he hoisted her over his shoulder and started walking out of the bathroom, carrying her like a blanket…or a jacket. Or something.
She was so stunned at the movement that she couldn’t even laugh. She really wanted to, though, because it was so strange, so odd. Maia never imagined she’d be carried like this—her ass over her head, her arms flailing uselessly against the strong back that held her up, and her legs totally inept against his chest. His strong arm kept a firm grip on her upper thighs, not letting her fall as he rounded in the hallway and ventured into his room, dropping her on one of the beds.
From the scent, it smelled like Farkas’s bed, but Maia wasn’t about to say anything.
Grimm practically leapt over her, landing above her. His expression read intense, wanting and so full of heat that Maia felt her thighs tremble in anticipation. The dimming daylight streamed through the window on the opposite side of the room, but his wide, large body blocked it all out. The only thing Maia could see was Grimm. Every inch of him—not a bad sight. It just might’ve been the best sight she’d ever seen, and she’d seen a lot of naked wolves in her day.
Grimm was just…Grimm
He didn’t have to say anything; all he had to do was stare down at her with those dark eyes, his wet hair still slicked back, only a strand or two out of place, and Maia had her legs spread. She was raring to go, practically aching to have him inside of her.
The wolf needed nothing more. His strong chest let out a rumble as he pushed inside of her, so fast and so deep that Maia arched h
er back and let out a moan. She didn’t expect that, though by now she should know better than to think she knew what to expect. These guys were all unique and strange and different from each other—and they were all unequivocally, one hundred percent hers.
Alarick, Farkas, and Grimm were hers and she would never let them go now that she’d found them.
Grimm’s hips thrusted, his cock sliding in and out of her easily. She’d been wet with anticipation, and now that he was inside of her, all the anticipation morphed into sheer undeniable pleasure, swallowing her every nerve and drowning out all senses. Maia lost all her thoughts as he pounded into her, his hips taking on a fluid, comfortable rhythm. His thrusts were steady, filling her up completely. She could hardly moan when he thrust as deep as he could go; it was like she could feel him in every muscle of hers. They were connected beyond all measure, past all reason.
Heat flowed off his body. If the water droplets on them from the shower could turn into steam from sheer body heat, they would’ve, because Maia had never experienced something so hot, so erotic. Maybe because it was Grimm, and he rarely said anything. Maybe because his face wore an expression she never thought she’d see: pleasure. His eyebrows creased, his eyelids slightly lowered, only dark slits staring at her as his cock pumped in and out. It was the strongest emotion she’d ever seen on his face, the ultimate desire, the utmost want. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
Maia turned her head, her face against Farkas’s pillow. Farkas would just have to deal. Or maybe she and Farkas would have a turn in Grimm’s bed. It would only be fair, right?
She wanted to touch him, to run her hands along his body and feel every single one of his muscles, but she could do nothing more than take what he gave her. And what he gave her was a giant helping of cock.
Arching her back even more, she shut her eyes as an almost violent orgasm swept through her, dominating her in a sweeping sensation of pleasure. She felt her inner walls tighten around his cock. Grimm must’ve felt it too, for it was not long after when he lost himself in her, the strong arms around her head tensing, veins bulging as he thrust his hips back, pulling himself out of her right before his reddened tip spewed his seed.
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