The Pack Rules Boxed Set: The Complete Series of Wolf, Bear, and Dragon Shifter Romances

by Michele Bardsley

  “Sounds brutal,” said Grant. “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “Thanks, but that’s my past. I’m more worried about my future.”

  “Sounds like marrying us is your best way out of the Suitor’s Brawl.” Grant finished his beer and tossed it into the trash can under the counter. “I’m going to take a shower.” He shared a look with Jack. He tried to mentally convey one thought: Convince her, dude.

  Grant liked Roxie, and he figured that was enough of a foundation to build the alpha triad for the Earth Pack. Jack was more of a thinker, and that was okay. When his friend took to over-thinking things, which was a lot, Grant could step in and get the ball rolling. And when Grant’s first reaction was to barrel into a situation fists flying, which was also a lot, Jack pulled him back. They made a good team—and Roxie would be part of that.

  He’d been ready to take the final step for a while. He had faith in the triad, in the Earth Pack, and even in dead Matilda.

  All they had to do now was convince Roxie.

  Jack found her, so he got the first move. But when it was Grant’s turn … he grinned. He couldn’t wait to see what he and Miss Trouble would do together.

  “MAYBE YOU JUST need convincing.” The rich timbre of Jack’s voice had a sensual quality that made Roxie’s nerves prickle. They both leaned against the wet bar, sipping on their drinks. He put down his glass and plucked hers out of her hand.

  The lazy intent glittering in his hazel eyes warned her, but before she could protest, he lowered his head and pressed warm, soft lips against her mouth.

  Shocked into stillness, Roxie didn’t move—not even when Jack pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He tasted of scotch, which wasn’t bad, and his lips did not demand, but coaxed. Her breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest and her nipples hardened.

  Damn, it had been a long time since she’d been kissed. And she couldn’t remember the experience ever being like this. His tongue flicked the corner of her mouth, and a jolt of electricity zapped the pit of her stomach. With that opening salvo, he invaded, his tongue tangling with hers.

  Heat coiled her belly and sparked every nerve ending. Arousal liquefied her body, clouded her mind, and dissolved her doubts.

  This was what she’d been looking for. Only she hadn’t known it. She’d never really belonged in the Blood Pack. College had been great, but had only filled part of her restless longing to be part of something that mattered.

  This experience, this feeling, this need to be fulfilled … well, damn if Jack wasn’t doing a good job of giving it to her.

  He stopped kissing her, his breathing erratic as he looked at her and grinned. She hung onto Jack’s shoulders, trying to calm her galloping heart rate. Feeling shaky, Roxie let go of him and touched her mouth, and felt the swelling of her throbbing lips.

  God, he was so cute. No, cute wasn’t the right word. He was freaking gorgeous. And Grant? He was a looker, too. Bigger, more muscled, and probably a beast in the sack.

  Both of these alphas were panty-melters.

  Jack’s face was all sharp angles, softened only by the fullness of his mouth and the warmth sparkling in his hazel eyes. His longish blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail. She wondered what it looked like down … what it might feel like in her hands. Muscled. God, he was muscled. The fit of his swim trunks would be declared illegal in some states.

  “Thanks for saving me,” she finally managed to say. “Twice.”

  He clasped her wrists and tugged her forward. “Let me scent you.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Scenting is only intent—it’s not true mating. You know that. It’ll give you some protection.” He brushed back her hair. “Would it be so bad to become ours? The Earth Pack is great. We have a beautiful farming community in Oregon. No brawls. No jostling for position within the pack. It’s a different life. A good one.”

  It sounded wonderful. Really, her reluctance made no sense, other than feeling like she didn’t have any control over her life anymore. Maybe being in college had given her that illusion. Returning home to her distant mother and raging asshole step-father, not to mention her cruel and stupid brother, had been a bucket of cold water tossed right onto her goddamned ambitions. Somehow, she had convinced herself that with a sociology degree in hand, she could change the Blood Pack’s brutal structure. In the end, though, it boiled down to a little girl wanting her mother to love her. Yeah. Roxie wanted her mother to be different.

  Mom would never change.

  But Roxie could. She had.

  “Roxie?”

  She looked at Jack, at his longing, his concern, his gentleness. He would bring her pleasure, she knew it. And Grant—he wasn’t a peaceful man. But he was strong. And she needed strength as much as she needed gentleness.

  “Maybe … just scenting.”

  He smiled, and his hazel eyes dark with desire. Her heart trilled. Was that the beat of fear? Or of longing? Both, she decided.

  Jack dropped to his knees and grasped her hips. He pressed his mouth to the vee of her thighs. Roxie almost fell over. Oh. My. God. His accuracy was uncanny. Shock and pleasure reverberated in her core as she tried to form an objection.

  The wet warmth of his lips penetrated the thin material. His breath fluttered through the barriers. She grabbed his shoulders and steadied herself. Was this happening? Really?

  He looked up at her.

  “Last chance,” he said, his voice hoarse with need. “Do you want me to stop?”

  JACK WAITED AN eternity for Roxie’s answer, but she finally said, “No.”

  Relief flooded him, followed by white-hot lust. Jack eased the bikini bottom down her thighs, exposing her smooth, well-trimmed pussy. “That’s a beautiful sight.”

  The spice of her sex was ambrosia. He leaned forward and kissed the spot just above her crease. The mere pressing of his lips against her warm skin sent sparks of hot desire shooting through him. Dragging his tongue down the slender line, he feasted on her plump, slick flesh.

  He dipped inside, tasting her feminine essence. Then he skimmed along her slick folds until he reached her clitoris. He flicked the swollen nub.

  She moaned.

  He slid two fingers inside her wet heat and curled them upward.

  “Oh, God,” she cried. “What … is … that?”

  Bingo. Houston, I’ve found the G-spot. He stroked that bump eagerly. He looked up and noted with satisfaction that her eyes were closed and her face was flushed.

  He captured her clit between his lips and sucked on the sweet little nub. He gladly accepted the assault of her fingers digging into his skull as he both pleasured and scented her. He re-settled his hands onto her ass and gorged on the nirvana that was Roxie. He could’ve stayed there forever, licking her and tasting her, but he needed to wait for Grant before he brought her to orgasm.

  Both of their scents needed to be on her so that anyone werewolf within sniffing distance would know Roxie belonged to them both, and therefore belonged to the Earth Pack. It was the strongest protection they could give her—until she mated fully with them both.

  “Oh, hell yeah.” Grant’s voice infiltrated Jack’s thrumming lust. His wolf wanted to howl and claim Roxie right now.

  Grant knelt next to him. He was still wet and only had a towel wrapped around his waist. Jack didn’t want to relinquish his spot, but since his fingers were already inside Roxie, stroking the tender flesh, he moved his mouth to her thigh, and lightly bit her.

  She moaned.

  Grant pressed his face against her well-soaked pussy, and began to lick. The men held onto to Roxie’s thighs as Jack worked his fingers in and out of her, and Grant suckled her clit.

  “Yes! Oh, God!” Roxie now clutched at both of them—her fingers tangled into Jack’s soft blond hair and pulling at Grant’s wet brown strands. Her thighs began to quiver, and she cried out as the orgasm overtook her.

  Grant got the first taste of nectar, but he moved his lips o
ver her hip, kissing her trembling flesh, so that Jack could partake of Roxie, too. Jack sucked on her swollen flesh, enjoying the way her pussy sucked at his fingers, the way she moaned as his tongue quickly pushed into another orgasm.

  Jack removed his fingers, and he and Grant both offered Roxie twin kisses on her hips, before getting to their feet.

  Roxie stared at them, her eyes still glazed with lust, her thighs glistening with the evidence of her pleasure. She tugged up her bottoms as they watched her. Jack’s entire body quivered with lust. His cock pressed painfully against the netting in his swim trunks. He knew Grant wanted her, too.

  Jack wanted to worship Roxie like the goddess she was. He wanted to kiss every inch of flesh, memorize every curve, and if she granted him the right, plunge his aching cock inside her. If she agreed to mate with him and Grant, they would take her fully, both at the same time, so that the triad would be complete.

  He wanted to draw her into his embrace, but she looked skittish. He opted for smoothing a loose curl away from her cheek.

  Grant, who was as subtle as brick smashing into your face, said, “Let’s fuck.”

  “Aw. Such a romantic.” Roxie offered shaky laugh. She turned, obviously unsettled, and walked to the nearby couch. She flopped onto it and sighed. “I have no idea if this is the right thing to do, or not. I mean, if Mom’s feeling bitchy enough, she’ll send brawlers to mess up those pretty faces. She might even send brawlers to the Earth Pack just to fuck with you.”

  “So, you’d rather run away?” asked Jack.

  “No, not really. I want to settle down. Use my degree somehow. Be part of something.”

  “Be part of the Earth Pack.” Grant sat next to her. “You can’t get more settled down than an Oregon farming community.”

  “Sure, it would be great for me. But, hel-lo, have you met the Bloods? They’re assholes. I think the Earths deserve better than what I can offer you.” She twisted her hands and chewed her bottom lip.

  Jack thought she looked adorable. He sat on the other side of her, and there she was, between him and Grant, the bridge between the alphas, the completion of their sacred triad. “We can handle the Bloods. The only real question is this: Do you want to be our mate?”

  “Jeez! Maybe we should date first,” said Roxie. She looked down at her hands, obviously discombobulated.

  Over Roxie’s bowed head, Jack looked at Grant. They’d gotten pretty good at knowing each other’s thoughts. Grant gave him a slight nod, which Jack knew meant the ball was in his court.

  “It’ll be okay,” said Grant as he stood up. “No matter what you decide, we’ll help you. One way or another, Roxie, I promise that you’ll be free of the Bloods.” He reached down and patted Roxie’s leg like she was a sad poodle. Jack rolled his eyes. His best friend had never been very good at comforting people. He was better at pummeling them.

  “Thanks,” said Roxie. “You can stop patting me now.”

  Grant acquiesced and stepped back. “I’m starving. I’m going to get something to eat and figure out where the Bloods are right now. We’re on the VIP floor, so they can’t get direct access to us. Still, I don’t like them sniffing around. Why don’t you stay here until we figure out the next move?”

  “I really appreciate your help. I do. I’ve been staying at the hotel in a discounted room—I didn’t want to get a place yet. I was just trying to figure out what to do. I need my clothes, my purse—”

  “No problem,” said Grant. “I’ll make sure all your things are transferred here.” With that promise, he loped off to his bedroom, located on the left side of the suite.

  Jack’s bedroom was on the right. And he really wanted to take Roxie into it, peel off her swimming suit, and take her.

  Oh, hell yeah.

  “Okay if I shower?” she asked.

  “Sure. Use Grant’s bathroom. I have one in my bedroom, too. We can both get showered up. I’ll order room service. You know what? Take a bath,” he suggested. “Pamper yourself. Relax as much as you can.”

  Roxie smiled. “I could get used to two gorgeous men taking care of me all the time.”

  “The benefits of the alpha triad are many,” he said. “And believe me, Grant and I would love to take care of you—in every way possible.”

  “Hmm.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you, Jack.”

  He watched her leave the living area and head toward Grant’s bedroom. He walked out fully dressed as she walked in, pausing to give him a kiss, too. He thought about joining her, offering to rub—well, everything—and giving in to his baser urges.

  Given the look on Grant’s face as he watched their mate saunter into his bedroom, his best friend had the same thoughts.

  “Whew,” said Grant. “I want her.”

  “I want her, too.”

  “Well, work on sealing the deal, would you?” Grant headed toward the door. “I’ll get her stuff sent up, and then I’ll track down the Bloods.”

  “Recon only,” said Jack. “Get us information. No fists of werewolf fury, all right?”

  Grant shrugged. “Sure. Whatever.”

  Grant left, and Jack knew there was a 50-50 chance Grant would not punch a Blood in his gonads. But Grant could handle himself.

  It was Jack who drifted in uncharted waters.

  Hmm. What did an alpha have to do to convince a girl to mate with him and his best friend?

  3

  JACK TOWELED OFF his hair, the last thing he needed to dry before getting dressed. Roxie’s things had arrived while she was still in the bath, so he’d put the tidily packed suitcases and boxes in Grant’s room where she’d see them when she finished. He tossed the damp towel under the sink and grabbed the terry cloth robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. He put it on, cinching the belt tight, and began to consider what to order from room service.

  He was starving—and they’d moved past breakfast and right into lunch.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  He strode across the room and flung open the door.

  Roxie. Beautiful, curvaceous, luscious Roxie. She wore a pair of tight jeans and a glitzy halter top. Her feet were clasped in zebra-print high heels. Big gold hoops dangled from her lobes.

  “Hi. I thought you’d like to see what I looked like dressed.”

  “You look amazing,” he said. “But nothing beats naked. I like naked a lot.”

  “Yeah? Me, too. Can I come in?”

  He moved out of the way, and she sashayed inside.

  He watched Roxie wander around the room.

  Decorated in dark blue and silver, from the navy carpet to the striped couch, the room, like the entire suite, was both luxurious and comfortable. Cherry wood end tables, each with a thin silver lamp, graced both sides of the huge, circular bed.

  She walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pushed aside the black-out curtains. Jack joined her, and they stood side-by-side and stared at the Las Vegas Strip. It looked less glitzy during the day when the desert sun beat down on the buildings and the people like a Mafia enforcer. In daylight, you could see the grit, the dirt, the underbelly. It was hot and ugly out there without the cover of night and bright, shiny lights to hide the truth of the inhospitable land.

  Jack felt Roxie’s gaze on him, so he turned to face her.

  Her eyes flared with desire and his blood stirred. Jack grasped her arms and pulled her into his embrace. She looked at him, wide-eyed, anticipation and lust colliding in the depths of her gaze. He wanted her. She wanted him. It could be just that simple, if they let it.

  He kissed her.

  She responded passionately, her lips melting against his as her tongue dipped into his mouth.

  He quivered. God, she made him hot, she made him want. One taste of Roxie would never be enough.

  Her hands dove into his robe. Her palms coasted down his stomach, seeking the evidence of his desire. She gripped his cock and stroked.

  “I want you,” she said in a husky voice. “Desperately.”

  �
��Then you better get out of those clothes.”

  She smiled, her eyes glittering with excitement. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  ROXIE’S HEART THUDDED from both exertion and sexual need. Ever since she met Jack, and then Grant, she couldn’t stop thinking about them naked. With her. She knew there was a whole big thing involved with being the mate of two alphas—and the responsibilities involved with running an Earth Pack. She loved the idea of joining a community that focused on contributing to society meaningfully. Being a member of the Blood Pack had made her wary of trusting anyone, even her own family. You either survived or you didn’t. If she and Derek hadn’t had each other growing up—well, they might not have made it past puberty.

  Jack took her hand and pulled her onto the bed. His lips captured hers, his tongue slipping inside to ratchet up the heat. She melted into his arms and deepened their contact. He tasted like peppermint. She could smell the light scent of soap and the musky scent of sex.

  Desire and need streaked through her, pooling wet and hot between her thighs. Reaching between them, she stroked his cock through the robe.

  Roxie kissed his jaw, dragging her lips down his neck then back up again. Her fingers curled under the edges of the robe, which she opened to revealed his delicious body.

  He sure was built. The man had nice abs. Brown hair lightly furred his pectorals and stomach. With lips and tongue, Roxie worked her way to his chest, taking a detour to one coin-sized areola and its tiny, hard peak. She tugged it between her teeth, flicking the tip rapidly. He groaned, his hands wrapping in her hair as she attacked his other nipple and gave it the same treatment.

  “Roxie,” he murmured. “You feel so good.”

  She moved further down his chest, exploring the muscled ridges of his stomach with hands and mouth.

  Slipping to the floor, she knelt between his legs. She grasped his thick, hard shaft, loving the feel of it against her palm.

  Cupping his balls, she squeezed lightly as she licked his mushroomed head, sucking it into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the rim, flicking the tiny bumps on the underside. Her wolf growled in approval. What would it be like to run with him and Grant? To take their true forms and actually frolic in nature without worrying about being attacked by other pack members?