“We need to set up a committee. Decide how to handle this,” Florence proposed.
“I second that idea,” Ada added. “I think this meeting has run its course. Anyone interested in joining the committee can stay. Anyone who’d rather get home, may go.”
Pastor Edmund nodded agreement.
Several people got up to leave. Most in fact. Apparently it was all fun and games until a committee was formed.
About two dozen people stayed. She noticed Brock Henson was among them.
Mary held her breath. Could any of what had been said be true? Was it possible God would wipe out an entire town or county because a few people were not living by the interpretation of the Bible held by the majority of this congregation?
She sure hoped not. If so, she was doomed to the same death.
As much as she hated the idea of a sub-committee meeting to discuss ways to run people out of town, she knew she needed to stay. Her gut told her to listen to the plan. If she didn’t and something bad happened, she’d never be able to live with herself.
Chapter Ten
“You cooked,” Laurie said as she entered Corbin’s apartment and glanced around his space. She’d spent enough time with him to know he was a typical guy—slightly messy, but not disgusting.
And she was right. His apartment was relatively tidy, but had the obvious distinction of being lived in by a man with no woman’s touch.
Thank God Zach had a condo. This apartment was far too small for three people. The living room was inviting—beige carpet, an overstuffed brown couch, a large-screen TV—but it was tiny. And the kitchen was more of a corner. The table was in a dining area between the living room and the narrow space comprising a stove/oven/microwave combo on one side and a sink/dishwasher on the other. Cabinet and counter space was minimal. It was all done in the same brown tones common in an apartment.
The three of them would quickly suffer from claustrophobia in the cramped space.
“I did. I told you I could BBQ.”
“Ah. Is that what I smell?” She smiled as he took her in his arms and held her against his body, carefully making sure his cock pressed into her belly.
Normally she would find such a maneuver offensive. Most women would. But nothing about this situation fit under the category of “normal”. She was at least as needy as him, wetness already leaking between her legs, her clit pulsing with need as soon as he opened the door and his personal scent filled her nose.
She pressed into him with the same urgency until he groaned. “Woman.”
“Yes?” she asked coyly, batting her eyes.
“Zach will be here any minute, and my chicken will be ruined if we don’t eat it soon.”
“Did I mention any other plan?” This was the first moment all day she had felt a sense of relaxation. The entire day had been shit, starting with her job hunt and ending with her disconcerting discussion with her sister that left her feeling rather hopeless. For the next few hours she wanted to put it all aside and enjoy her men.
Corbin broke their connection and stepped back as though she had cooties. “You’re dangerous. Don’t touch me.” He grinned as he returned to the kitchen area and stirred something in a pot.
“What are we having with our chicken, grill master?”
“Mac and cheese. From a box.” He spun around again and pointed the large spoon at her. A noodle fell onto the floor. “And don’t say a word, or I won’t cook for you again.”
She held up both hands in defeat. “Never.” Pursing her lips, she turned to take in more of his space.
The large comfy couch that took up most of the living room was a deep brown that encouraged its occupants to relax. The wall across from the couch was covered with video equipment, DVDs, and games.
A man’s den.
The door behind her opened, and she spun around to watch Zach stroll in. He had a frown on his face and came straight toward her. “I spoke to Melinda,” he said as he took her in his arms and kissed her lips. “Why am I hearing about my mate’s bad day from my brother’s woman?”
She scrunched up her face, sensing Corbin approaching at her back. “I figured we could discuss things tonight. I’m not a fan of communicating important information telepathically where I can’t see anyone’s expressions.”
Zach frowned. “This shit’s important. If you have problems, I want to know about them.”
“You were on the slopes all day, Zach. Teaching classes and stuff. I hardly think it would be appropriate for me to call your cell or disrupt your work inside your head. We’re all here now.” She wiggled free of him just as Corbin grabbed her hips from behind. “Let’s eat. Then we can talk.”
She wasn’t hungry. In fact, she felt sick. But she would fake it for them and swallow as much as she could.
As soon as they had their plates filled with chicken, salad, and mac-n-cheese, she decided to make light dinner conversation. “So, how far away do your parents live, Corbin? I still haven’t met them. That seems strange. Especially if they’re close by. I’m sure they’re curious about me. Maybe we should visit them after dinner?”
Corbin stiffened visibly for a second and then shrugged. “Not necessary.” He didn’t lift his gaze. “They’re older.”
“They’re older? What does that mean?” Laurie swallowed her bite and set her fork down. “Corbin?”
He finally met her gaze. “I haven’t told them about you yet. It’s no big deal. No rush. When we get settled, I’ll give them a call.”
“Seriously? Dude.” Zach spoke this time. “I didn’t realize you hadn’t told your parents. Why the hell not?”
Laurie picked another angle. “What do you mean ‘they’re older’?”
Corbin blew out a breath. “They’re old school.”
No one said anything for so long Laurie could hear her own pulse in her ears. “You mean they won’t approve?”
Corbin pursed his lips and stared at her.
Zach spoke again. “Do you mean they won’t approve of you mating two people? Or you mating someone who isn’t Native American.”
Corbin lowered his face and said nothing.
“Oh geez,” Laurie began, “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell us?”
He shrugged. “That my parents are bigots and won’t approve of me mating a white man and a mixed woman? Oh, I don’t know.” He threw up his hands. “Maybe because it’s embarrassing to admit. Or I’m a coward. Or I simply chose to pretend they don’t exist for a few days.”
Zach’s fork clanged to the table, making Laurie flinch. “Please tell me you weren’t in their field before last week. Please tell me you never thought like that and didn’t walk into that cabin last week and cringe to find out we weren’t Native American.”
Corbin jumped to his feet. “Fuck no. Of course not. I’m not that asshole. I just have parents that won’t approve, and I’m fucking embarrassed for you to find that out about them.”
“Maybe if they meet us…” Laurie started.
Corbin paced, running a hand through his hair. “No. Trust me. Meeting you won’t help matters. They’re stuck in another time period. Bitter on behalf of their ancestors. And they have no ability to hold their tongue on this subject. They will make me feel like I’m five years old and tear you both to shreds. Trust me.”
Laurie paused a moment and then continued. “I can take it. I’m a big girl. And I know Zach can too. All we can do is what we know is the right thing and go to their house and introduce ourselves. If they choose to reject us, that’s their problem. It doesn’t reflect on you.” She stood and approached Corbin slowly.
When she reached his side, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. “We’re a unit now. Not breakable. And we need to face your parents and tell them. Every day we don’t, it will get worse.”
Corbin’s shoulders slumped. “I know. You’re right. Can we at least finish eating?” He turned in her arms and buried his face in her hair. “I love you.”
It was the first time on
e of them had said those words.
Not that Laurie hadn’t felt them, especially in her soul. It wasn’t unusual for newly mated shifters to fall hard and fast, but the initial emotion was lust, pure and simple. Bone deep lust that swept them into a frenzy.
She knew she would do anything in the world for these men, but professing love was another step. It was time. “I love you too. Both of you.” She turned to face Zach who had stood from his spot at the table. “And we’ll get through this. Hell, if my day is anything to go by, your parents are just two of hundreds of people who won’t be taking kindly to our arrangement.”
Zach closed the distance and wrapped himself around her from behind. He kissed her hair. “I love you too,” he whispered into her ear. “Now, can we finish eating? The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get to Corbin’s parents’ house. And then we can get back here and get you naked.”
When she twisted her neck to face him, she found him grinning.
»»•««
Corbin’s hands were sweating. He hated this more than anything in the world. For as long as he could remember, he’d never shared the beliefs of his parents. Probably because he had friends with normal parents, and he spent the majority of his formative years in their homes, where he listened to more tolerant rhetoric.
It seemed no one in his community of friends had parents that scowled at each other over the table and bitched about the widespread disregard for preserving the Native American culture.
And now he stood on the front steps of his childhood home and wiped his hands on his jeans like a recalcitrant child about to get a tongue lashing—which wasn’t far from the truth in all likelihood.
He glanced at the worn boards beneath his feet, realizing they hadn’t received a fresh paint job in over twenty years. He remembered when his father paid a group of teenagers to paint the porch dark green when he was about ten years old.
He also knew which boards to step on to avoid detection. Some things never changed.
It was Laurie who finally lifted a hand and knocked on the front door.
Corbin reached for the handle, knowing it wouldn’t be locked, and turned it, pushing the door open just as his father stepped into the foyer.
“Corbin.” The man looked shocked, and for a minute Corbin actually felt bad about how long it had been since he’d been there.
And then his father spoke again, his voice rising in frustration. “How kind of you to grace us with your presence.” The man turned around and walked back into the bowels of the house without acknowledging the other two people on the porch.
Normally, shifters were quick to recognize mated couples. They could scent it. Since his father had given no indication he noticed, Corbin was inclined to believe the man hadn’t gotten close enough to realize the implications of the three people on his porch.
“It’s one thing to ignore your father the way you have, you disrespectful brat, but failing to ever contact your mother is over the top, young man,” his father called over his shoulder as Corbin pushed the door open farther and stepped inside. Phillip Archers could always manage to bring Corbin down a notch.
Immediately he felt the oppressive weight of his childhood. This was not going to go well.
Laurie took his hand in hers and spoke into his head. “Be the bigger man. All you can do is inform in the politest way possible. The reaction of your parents is not a reflection on you.”
Corbin took a deep breath and stepped farther into the house.
Zach concurred with Laurie. “She’s right.”
When they stepped into the living room, Corbin found his mother sitting in her favorite chair with a book in her lap. “Mom.”
She lifted her gaze. “Oh.” She set a hand on her chest. “I thought I heard the door. I was just…” Her voice trailed off as realization spread across her face.
A glass shattered to Corbin’s right, indicating without a glance that his father had caught the combined scent of pheromones also.
His mother opened her mouth again, but said nothing.
Laurie spoke first. “Mrs. Archers. So good to meet you.” She reached out a hand, but Josephine Archers, in true form, merely glanced at Laurie’s outstretched fingers and stared in distain.
“Is this true? Corbin, have you mated with this woman? And…this man?”
“Yes, Mother.” He glanced at Laurie. “This is Laurie Hamilton and Zachary Masters.” He jerked his gaze toward Zach.
“Blasphemy,” his father yelled from the kitchen as he stepped into the doorframe. “Have you no respect for the way you were raised?”
Apparently not.
Zach cleared his throat. “Mr. and Mrs. Archers, I know this must be a shock to you, but I assure you, as you know, mating is not something any of us can control. Fate chooses for us. We have no way to ignore Her call.”
Neither of his parents acknowledged Zach. In fact as Corbin glanced back and forth between the people who gave birth to him, he found them both staring at him in shock as though no one else were in the room.
Finally, his mother picked up her book and pretended to continue reading.
Incredible.
His father stepped farther into the room. “You should leave. Clearly, nothing about the way you were raised has stuck. Don’t come back here. You’re dead to us.” He pointed in the direction they had entered. “See yourself out. Do not upset your mother like this ever again.”
Corbin wasn’t surprised. But he was hurt. He shouldn’t be, but it was impossible, even knowing it would happen, to not be injured by the complete lack of acknowledgement for his mates and his claiming.
Fine.
They could rot for all he cared.
He may have been alone in this world for many years, both directly and indirectly. But not anymore.
»»•««
Mary fidgeted, wringing her hands in her lap as she watched a set of headlights pull in behind her car and then shut off. She waited, her chest pounding as the passenger door opened, and Jazmine slid into the seat beside her.
Jaz turned to face Mary with a huge smile. She reached across the console and stroked a hand down Mary’s cheek. And then her expression fell. “What’s the matter?”
Mary lowered her gaze and shrugged. She closed her eyes slowly and swallowed back the tears threatening to fall. Everything she planned to say flew out the window as soon as Jaz got in the car.
“Oh no, you don’t. You let those church people get to you, didn’t you?” Jazmine grabbed Mary’s hand and squeezed it. “Baby, don’t do this. What happened?”
Mary leaned her head back against the headrest and turned to face Jaz. “They believe such horrible things.”
“And you can’t let them make you feel like this. You’re in control of you. Stop going there. It’s damaging.”
“It’s all I know. I’ve belonged to this denomination my entire life.”
“And there are men who have abused women their entire life too. That doesn’t make it right.”
“What if they’re right? What if what we’re doing is a sin?”
“You think your God would bring us together and make us feel what we feel for each other and call it a sin? Do you really believe that?”
Mary shook her head. “No,” she muttered. “But it’s hard. I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do. You just aren’t willing to make changes yet.”
Mary sat up straighter. “And you are?” Her voice rose. “You want to tell your parents about us? You want to come out to your friends and the community? You know we would both lose our businesses if we did that.”
Jaz slumped in her seat. “No. You’re right. But the difference is I’m not letting anyone influence me into believing I’m wrong, baby. I’m just doing what’s necessary to keep my job. If I could erase society’s warped views and move in with you, I would in a heartbeat. We’re trapped. We can’t help the fact that we live in backward small towns in the short run. All we can do is live for now and plan for the future
.”
Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She smiled at Jaz. “You’re right. Of course. You always are. Thanks for getting my head back on straight. I feel like such a hypocrite, telling Laurie I can’t hire her. Don’t you?” She caressed Jaz’s face and then gripped her hand again, tighter.
“Yes. I nearly vomited after I turned her away. But we have no choice for now. We have to do whatever is necessary to survive. We’ll plan for the future, but we can’t risk losing our businesses over this.”
“I know. I just feel sick about it.”
“When are you going to leave that church? They’re giving you an ulcer.” Jaz lifted Mary’s fingers to her lips and kissed them.
Mary closed her eyes. “I don’t know, but I can’t right now. Some of the members are planning to do something drastic. They formed a damn committee to run the Masters out of town. They even have a guy who works at the resort on their damn committee. I feel obligated to fake like I’m with them for now so I can make sure they don’t plan anything that would get someone killed.”
“Killed? Do you think it’s that bad?”
Mary nodded. “I’m afraid for the lives of the Masters and their significant others. The ideas they tossed around made my skin crawl. Whatever the Masters do in private is not nearly bad enough to warrant killing them. I’m not sure how I feel about threesomes,” she shivered, “but bitching about interracial marriage is absurd.”
Jaz chuckled. “Threesomes… You say that like it’s a bad word. Who cares what the Masters do behind closed doors? You can’t really judge anyone else if you’re with me, can you?”
“No. But it’s taking me a while to see things in a new light. I’m still green.”
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