by Jenny Penn
“You touch anything of mine again and I’ll put you down so you never get up.” While Gina turned a terrified gaze on Kristen, she turned a concerned one back on her along with turning up her tone. “Oh, dear. I think you bit your lip when you fell. It’s bleeding bad.”
“What the heck is going on out here?”
Not that Jakob would have interfered in the glorious display of possessive jealousy his mate was making of herself, but as Hank came rushing out of the kitchen, he didn’t have much choice but to stand up and handle the situation. It only took a few minutes, and Jakob doubted Hank or anybody else was fooled by all of Kristen’s false concern, but nobody argued that Gina had slipped and should go to the hospital.
Nobody but Jakob, but he waited until they’d settled back into their seats and Hank had disappeared to get their drinks. As the diner started to rouse again with a lively conversation surely fed by the recent event, Jakob pinned his mate with an expectant look and waited for her confession.Kristen glared Kort down and waited for his confession. None came. Neither brother said a word as they both stared back at her, wearing identical expressions of patience. Unfortunately, Kristen didn’t have much of that left in her and broke the silence first.
“So you want to tell me why you called that woman and why she thinks you’re planning on breaking into her house tonight?”
“You want to tell me why you kicked her?” Kort shot back, not appearing the least bit contrite for the scene his little pet had just caused.
“Why did you call her?” Kristen growled, not about to take second seat in this argument. The man had clearly been up to no good and owed her an explanation.
“Why did you kick her?”
“For the same reasons I’m about to kick you,” Kristen snarled. “Because she pissed me off.”
That wasn’t the full truth. The woman might have irritated Kristen, but her wolf had responded with instant rage at the sight of another bitch touching what it considered hers. A side effect of the mating, the instinctive response caused Kristen to be even more anxious to have the bond broken. She didn’t approve of violence, didn’t like it, and certainly didn’t want to become violent herself.
“Answer her, Kort.” Jakob surprised her by taking her side, not that she trusted his motives.
“She isn’t going to like the answer.”
Now that Kristen read as an honest response.
“We’re mated now,” Jakob stated simply, his gaze locked on her. “There are no more secrets. Tell her what you did.”
Kort sighed, sinking deeper into his seat before turning his sullen scowl in her direction. “I just wanted to know what to expect, you know, from you. How you might be feeling after last night, so I made some calls and asked some women how they’d feel.”
Kristen simply stared at him, trying to absorb how many ways she should be pissed off. The man thought her no better than Gina, had asked that bitch for advice on Kristen and given her intimate details about their mating. It was almost too much for her mind to handle at once, so she went with a simple response.
“You really are an ass, you know that?”
Kort sighed and nodded after a moment. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t mean to be. It’s not like I ever banked on you finding out what I did.”
Kristen blinked in that bit of bluntness and almost laughed. She should have hit him, or at least blasted him, but after everything that had happened, Kristen could see one positive trait in Kort.
“Well, at least you’re an honest ass, and what about you?” She turned her attention to Jakob, who jerked his glare from his brother to cast his scowl in her direction. “What did you do?”
“Why do you think I did anything?” Jakob demanded to know, clearly defensive.
“Because you’re acting guilty,” Kristen answered with the same frankness Kort liked to use. “And you said there were no secrets.”
“I talked to my mom, okay?” Jakob spat, like he fully expected her to laugh.
“You talked to Mom?” Kort snickered and shook his head. “I might be an ass, but you’re the real loser.”
That got him kicked. A gesture Kort returned. Before they could break into a full-on brawl, Kristen interceded. “Actually I think it’s kind of sweet.”
A double set of surprised eyes turned on her with obvious disbelief.
“You do?” Kort sounded not only amazed, but a little disgusted.
“Why?” Jakob didn’t sound any more convinced of her comment than his brother.
“Well,” Kristen shrugged, “given you broke into my house, molested me, not to mention you allowed a feral to watch, then humiliated me in front of my brother, only to top that all off by bringing me here not simply to meet all your past conquests but to witness the depths of your blonde pet’s devotion, I’d say you need advice from your mother.”
Neither man squirmed under her lengthy accusation, but Kort did have the grace to sigh out a begrudging acceptance before casting Jakob a doubtful look. “So what did Mom say?”
“She said we were screwed and we should probably do a lot of groveling.”
Kristen broke into instant laughter at the mumbled confession, unable to stop herself from giving in to the moment and enjoying her small bit of validation. If nothing else, she already knew she’d like Jakob and Kort’s mother. Of course, right then Jakob and Kort didn’t look like they cared too much for her.
“Would groveling help?” Kort finally asked, looking sick at even the idea.
“Something tells me you’d screw it up,” Kristen assured him, not at all certain why she didn’t say “yes.” It would do her ego a little good to see the man humbled, but it would also mean he’d have to lie. Kristen knew damn good and well Kort didn’t regret anything, except maybe getting caught.
“I can be pretty convincing,” Jakob offered with such sincerity that Kristen believed him.
“Yeah, but then Kort would make fun of you and you’d have to beat the crap out of him.” Kristen shook her head. “I’m not up to being the center of attention for a second time tonight.”
That was another half truth. Kristen didn’t want another fight because she didn’t want to be reminded of the past incident. Nor did she care to become the thing that kept the two twins at each other’s throats. They might be jerks, but she wouldn’t allow that to become an excuse to lower herself to their level, notwithstanding the Gina event.
Thankfully Hank provided a distraction from that conversation when he returned with the drinks. He chatted with her mates for a few moments, taking the time to welcome her into the pack before he took their orders and disappeared.
A momentary silence settled over the table. It felt like a beginning that nobody knew how to start. Kristen busied herself with her tea while she tried to figure out what to say. Apparently Kort already knew of a topic they could revisit.
“Peter who?”
The gulp of tea Kristen had just taken went down wrong, sending a streak of burning pain radiating out from her chest. Tears clogged her vision while she coughed, trying to recover her breath. Jakob didn’t help any when he pounded her back to add a new ache to her list.
“Thank you.” Kristen jerked away from him. “I’m fine now.”
“Then, Peter who?” Kort asked again, calmly waiting for an answer.
“Peter nobody,” Kristen shot at him. “And I don’t think I have to answer any of your questions unless, of course, you intend on answering all of mine.”
Kristen had bet that her mates had more to hide than she did and wasn’t prepared for Kort’s casual response. “Ask away.”
“How many women did you sleep within a week?” Kristen didn’t really want to know the answer, but figured the question would scare them back from going any further with this conversation.
“Depended on the week.” Kort shrugged, looking completely unrepentant. “Got to have at least one night’s rest a week, you know?”
“No. I don’t,” Kristen retorted primly. That was not the
answer she wanted to hear, but the one she’d feared. “Unlike you, I didn’t jump from slut to slut, so I don’t have to worry about missing my sleep.”
“You had a relationship with this guy,” Jakob chimed in, flanking her from the left.
“Yes.” Kristen didn’t see any point in denying it when they’d find out the rest of the horrid truth later. They’d be pissed enough then, so it seemed wise not to antagonize the situation by lying outright. “I had a relationship, a mature, responsible relationship with one man, while the two of you were out there dicking your way through the entire female population.”
“That was all frivolous.” Jakob dismissed her comment with a wave even as he agreed with her point. “It was just sex, and we never told any of those women that they meant anything or led them to believe we were available for more than a single night.”
“You,” Jakob pointed a finger at her stiffened with anger, “on the other hand, had a relationship. That means you had an emotional connection with your lover, which is actually betrayal.”
“It is not,” Kristen shot back, instantly indignant at his accusation.
“And how would you feel if you found out we told some other woman we loved her?”
Kristen opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t care and hoped he found that woman again after she had the mating bond broken, but the lies wouldn’t come out. The very second the idea settled in her mind, the beast inside her riled near the surface with a sudden need to kill something. Snapping her jaw closed, she fought the urge.
“Exactly.” Jakob nodded, taking her silence for what it was.
God help her if they ever realized who Peter was, then she wouldn’t have any right to be so bitchy. They would find out eventually. Something told Kristen they’d remember every detail of this conversation then and throw it all back in her face.
“Let’s agree that the past doesn’t matter and forget about it,” Kristen offered up charitably.
“Let’s not,” Kort dug in. “Let’s talk about Peter who and why you’re suddenly so forgiving?”
“Because I’m trying to be nice, you ass,” Kristen shot back. “Can’t you just be thankful?”
That came out louder than she intended. Her voice rang in the suddenly silent diner, making her blush and glance about to see if anybody had noticed her shrew routine. Lifting her eyes from Kort they immediately locked on to the reason the diner had suddenly filled with tension.
“Derek!”
Kristen had never before been so grateful to see her twin as she was then. Darting out of her seat before Jakob could stop her, she threw herself into her brother’s arms and held on. He felt solid and comfortable, familiar in a way that went beyond a simple lifetime of shared experiences.
The protection she felt in the arms squeezing her back made Kristen wish she could play the weak female and beg her brother to take her away from all of this. She couldn’t, couldn’t even hold on to him. Sighing, she stepped back and met Derek’s frozen gaze.
“You want me to kill them for you?” The question sounded sincere enough that Kristen didn’t know if he meant it. Her mates apparently did. Jerking out of their seats, they presented a wall of muscle that trapped Kristen on the other side.
“You sure you can, Narin?” Jakob growled.
“Maybe you should look around and consider your options,” Kort warned him.
It was a not-so-subtle reminder that her brother stood surrounded by the enemy. He’d come wading into this mess just for her. That didn’t surprise Kristen in the least, but it did harden her momentary desire to play the victim.
“Yes, you should,” Kristen agreed with forced cheeriness. Latching on to Derek’s arm, she took the biggest risk and started dragging him back to their table and right past her grumbling mates. “The menu is pretty long, and I’ve been promised the food is pretty good.”
“Kristen,” Kort growled, clearly fighting to control his temper. Probably because her brother was there. “I’m sure your brother has other dinner plans.”
“Actually, I don’t.” Whether he meant to or not, the chair Derek chose to hunker down in was Kort’s. “And you can relax, puppy. It was your own Alpha who suggested I come over here and see how well my sister had been matched.”
That not only explained Derek’s presence but it also cut off any other objections Jakob and Kort would have made. Instead they stayed silent, letting their displeasure be felt through the tense and hardened glares they shot at her brother as they both settled back down at the table. Kristen didn’t bother to interfere, just happy to have her brother there.
“So, Kristen.” Jakob forced a polite tone that came out strained and tight. “What do you do for a living?”
Kristen blinked, unprepared for that simple question. It quickly sparked a chain of thoughts that had her frowning. “About that, where’s my car?”
“Your car?” Derek scowled at her question. “Somebody steal your car?”
“No,” Kort answered for her, snapping that harsh response at her brother with clear indignation. “It’s in the garage at the McBanes’ place.”
“But I don’t have the keys,” Kristen pointed out. From the twin glares that comment received, she knew her mates didn’t want to talk about that now or here. Kristen could guess why. It was the very reason she did, because Derek wouldn’t let them get away with anything.
“I’m sure they’re around,” Jakob finally conceded.
“Don’t worry,” Derek cut in smoothly. Stretching out a leg, he dug for something in his pocket. “I got my spare right here, you can use that.”
“She doesn’t need that,” Kort snapped, his anger apparently making him forget that he was dealing with not only her brother, but an Alpha.
“My sister needs whatever she wants,” Derek snarled.
Straightening up and tensing with the kind of speed that assured the table separating him from Kort would offer no protection, his sudden aggression sent out ripples across the room as everybody tensed again. Unaware or unconcerned with the attention they were drawing, Derek leaned forward in obvious challenge to instruct Kort.
“And as her mate, it will be your joy and duty to assure Kristen has everything she wants.”
“I always wanted a motorcycle.” Kristen did, but she only brought it up because Derek had always forbidden it. Apparently her mating didn’t change Derek’s opinion or authoritative attitude.
“But not that.”
“Trust me, on that we agree,” Kort muttered, shooting Kristen a dark look for her suggestion. She smirked back at him.
“Okay, how about ‘I hate the fuzz’ tattooed on my ass.” Since she was sitting at a table with two police officers, that earned her a double set of glares. Kort, though, snickered before offering her a too-sweet smile.
“Don’t worry about the fuzz on your ass, honey. We can always shave it for you.”
“That’s so sweet,” Kristen purred back before narrowing her gaze on him. “Where are my car keys?”
“I don’t think—”
“You want me to trust you.” Kristen cut off Jakob before he could try to make a reasonable excuse for keeping her under their control. “You have to trust me. Where is my car?”
The brothers shared a look that ended with Kort sighing. Stretching out a leg, he shoved a hand into his pocket and fished out a set of keys that he chunked at her. “It’s parked in the garage. Now what is it you do for a living?”
“Well that couldn’t have gone any worse,” Jakob muttered. Chapter 14He stood beside Kort, watching as Kristen trudged up the steps toward her bedroom. She looked tired and tense. Two things Kort didn’t like seeing on his woman. Not that he could blame her. Dinner had been a disaster. That was before her brother had shown up.
“Gina could have cracked her skull open and died.” Kort caught the shift in his brother’s chin and met his gaze. “What? Just putting things in perspective.”
“I need a drink.” Jakob shoved off the wall he’d been using to sup
port himself and headed for the study at the back of the house.
* * * *
“Don’t you want to wash the stink off first?” Kort called after him.
“Eh.” Jakob didn’t even pause. “Once I’m drunk it won’t bother me.”
Kort snorted at that bit of wisdom and started off for their room and the shower he needed. A half hour later Kort emerged clean, smelling like soap and looking for that drink. Pausing only long enough to pull on a pair of sweats, he headed off to join Jakob.
He found his twin draining a bottle of scotch. Slouched down on the couch with his boots on their Alpha’s coffee table, Jakob looked half asleep. Cocking an eye at his twin’s audacity, Kort paused to nod at Jakob’s feet.
“You don’t think you’re going to be in enough trouble when JD and Caleb get a whiff of this room? You want to tempt them into hobbling you, too?”
“I don’t care,” Jakob muttered. “I’m too tired to care.”
“Yeah? Well Kristen might. Having a mate with two feet is probably high on her list.” Kort moved off to find his own bottle, figuring that their Alphas would be pissed no matter what come morning. He might as well be guilty of something if he was going to get the blame.
“Who the hell knows what that woman wants,” Jakob muttered, his gaze rolling toward the study door and the stairwell beyond it. “I thought we’d have it easier when I figured out who she is. I mean, a werewolf, what could be better?”
“A mate who wants us?”
“And how can she not?” Jakob voiced the very question that had been plaguing Kort all day. “We’re her fucking mates. She knows what that means. We might not have done completely right by her last night, but she’s acting worse than most humans do, and they got to get over the whole my-man-lifts-a-leg-to-pee-sometimes thing.”
Kort sighed as he settled down in the chair across from Jakob to share in his misery. “Just wait until everybody learns that she’s sleeping in her own bed.”
“I’m sure Tex and Cal have already informed them,” Jakob retorted sourly. “That probably explains Gina’s thing tonight. That woman…”