by Jane Jamison
She smiled. She’d changed a lot since she’d come to Forever. From dancing on top of a bar, to falling in love with werewolves, to sneaking out of a house, her adventure was turning out to be amazing. Life-changing.
One trellis climb coming up. Then what? How do I get back to town?
And then she remembered. It seemed no one in Forever locked their cars. Most of them kept their keys in the ignition or resting on the overhead visor. Crime was basically nonexistent in the small town. Feeling ever more adventurous, she threw her leg over the windowsill and crawled out. Hopefully, they’d forgive her for stealing their truck.
I’m not stealing. I’m borrowing it.
Knowing she was rationalizing what she was doing, she took hold of the trellis and began climbing down.
They might be angry with me later, but I have to do this. Once I tell them that I’m not going back home, they’ll be okay with it.
Crouching down, she ran toward the truck, opened the door as quietly as possible, then slipped behind the steering wheel. Sure enough, the keys were in the ignition.
* * * *
Darrold had expected it, but even so, he was still disappointed when he saw Malia run to the pickup and hop behind the wheel. He stood at the window and watched as she headed the truck down the gravel drive. “There she goes, guys.”
Byton stood beside him, his sadness evident in his tone. “Damn it. I was sure hoping she wouldn’t run off.”
“We can go after her,” suggested Mike.
When would Mike learn? “You are fucking kidding me. We tried that, and see how it turned out?”
Mike’s growl came from behind, but Darrold heard no footsteps headed his way. “She gave herself to us. I don’t know about you, but that made the connection even stronger. I have to believe she’ll come back.”
Another growl from Mike. “I hope to hell you’re right. If not…”
If not, then we’ll go get her.
He didn’t voice the thought. What would they do if their mate decided to leave town? Would going after her make anything right? Or would it make things worse?
Worse than losing her? Nothing would be worse than losing her.
Byton put his hand on his shoulder. “We have to have faith, guys. Faith in us. Faith in her. And faith in the connection.”
Darrold wondered if he had enough faith to carry him through.
* * * *
Three days had passed since Malia had escaped from the ranch. Yet escaped was the wrong word. After making love with the men, she hadn’t felt like a prisoner, hadn’t felt like she’d been kidnapped. Instead, she’d felt like she’d finally come home.
She stood at the window of her rental house and stared out into the front yard. Still, she had to wonder. If they really wanted her, why hadn’t they come to get her? More times than she could count, she’d left the house and started toward the pickup, ready to return to the ranch and to them. The urge to be with them grew stronger every day. Yet she had to resist. She couldn’t do anything before she told Bill what was going on. She’d end it with Bill, and then she could move on into her future.
Yet, ending their relationship with a phone call or, worse, a text was awful. She knew she should go home and face him and tell him straight out. But the connection, her need for the men, kept her in Forever. No matter how much she believed she owed Bill the respect of telling him face to face, she knew in her heart that she’d never go back. Which meant, of course, that she’d have to end it with a call.
Damn it, Bill, call me back.
She stared at her phone, willing him to call. Leaving another message wouldn’t do any good. Why was he ignoring her?
I have to get out of here.
Staying at the house was driving her crazy. If she couldn’t bring herself to leave Forever, then at least she could get into town for a while. Sooner or later, she’d have to face the people that had shifted in front of her, proving to her that werewolves existed. Sooner or later, they’d find out about her and the men. Would they welcome her? Or would they see her as an intruder?
She tucked her phone in the back of her jeans then headed out the door. Unlike before, unlike all the times she tried to leave and return to Houston, this time, she felt no reluctance, no something stopping her from getting behind the wheel. She smiled as she stood and headed the truck toward town.
By the time she’d made it into town, she’d decided to head to Milly’s. If nothing else, she could get something to eat.
She slid out of the pickup, her attention centered on her phone, checking again to see if Bill had finally tried to reach her, and headed toward the café. Just as she was about to enter the place, she bumped into Miss Clara.
“Young one, you’d better watch where you’re going.”
Malia looked up to find angry wrinkle-framed eyes glaring at her. “I’m sorry, Miss Clara. I wasn’t looking.” She’d heard that the cantankerous old woman could be volatile and had no wish to tangle with the elderly werewolf.
An elderly werewolf. Wow. How my life has changed.
“Damn straight you weren’t.” Miss Clara fisted her hands on her hips. “So what are you doing in town? Why aren’t you with your men?”
“Are you saying I can’t go anywhere without them?” Was that a werewolf thing? Or a generational thing?
“I’m saying you need to be with them. You should be spending this time getting to know each other, making love to each other. You’ve got three great men there, girly. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t mess that up.”
“I don’t intend to. But I don’t know what business it is of yours.” As soon as she’d spoken, she knew she’d made a mistake. Miss Clara’s eyes widened, bits of amber filling them.
“What did you say?” There was a definite growl behind the woman’s words.
She knew she should apologize, but something held her back. Was it pride? Or was it more a form of stupidity?
“No one talks to Miss Clara that way.”
“Jake, easy,” warned Miss Clara.
Malia turned to see a gargantuan man. Most of the men in Forever were larger than life, but the man must’ve stood over seven feet tall. Three other men, equally as massive, stood behind him.
Oh crap.
The man took her arm, squeezing it tight and eliciting a yelp from her.
“Turn me loose. You’re hurting me.”
She wasn’t sure what happened next. One moment the man was holding her arm, and then in the next, he was on the ground.
“Get her the hell out of here,” commanded Mike.
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Mike standing over Jake with Byton and Darrold rushing toward her. The men she adored were coming to her rescue. Yet before she could say anything, Byton picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
Oh, come on. Not this again.
Yet she smiled, loving it.
Darrold opened the pickup door as Byton dropped her onto the seat. He grabbed a seat belt and locked her in. “Just to be clear, we’re not kidnapping you this time. We’re saving your butt. Jake Lambert is no one to mess with.” As he was closing the door, he pointed toward the men surrounding Miss Clara.
Mike stood in front of the large men who were even now beginning to shift. Mike was a strong werewolf and a strong man, but there was no way he could take all of them. “Mike, come on,” she called.
Byton slid behind the wheel and turned the ignition. “He’ll be okay.” Yet he didn’t sound very confident.
“Mike, haul ass, man.” Darrold hopped into the back of the pickup.
“What? You can’t leave him here. You need to help him. He doesn’t stand a chance against all of them.” She was horrified. Horrified of what might soon happen. And horrified that she was a cause of it.
Jake and his buddies crowded around Mike. She lost sight of him behind the massive male wall. Then, suddenly, they broke apart, and there was Miss Clara in the middle of them.
“Get on out of here, Mike Woodston, and
take your mate back to your ranch. I’ll handle these boys.”
Mike opened his mouth, apparently ready to argue, then hurried to the pickup. As he jumped inside, he patted the back of Byton’s seat and said, “Go, man, go.”
Byton didn’t hesitate. In fact, the pickup was already moving backward out of the parking spot as Mike jumped in.
“But what about Miss Clara? She can’t possibly handle all those men.”
Byton laughed. “Don’t ever underestimate Miss Clara. She can take care of herself and then some.”
True to what he said, Malia turned around to see how Miss Clara was doing. Sure enough, she had the men cowed with their heads bowed as she pointed her finger at them, her mouth moving a mile a minute. The old woman was giving them hell.
Strangely, the men remained silent all the way back to the ranch. She wasn’t certain that was a good thing, but stayed quiet. As Byton pulled the truck close the house and turned it off, she couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Guys, I’m sorry about sneaking off. I know I shouldn’t have run off, but the whole thing was just overwhelming. You get that, don’t you?”
Even stranger, they didn’t answer as they got out of the pickup, then opened her door and motioned her toward the house. Mike took her hand and led her to the couch, but kept her standing. When she tried to speak again, he lifted his hand, stopping her.
“Don’t talk. Just listen.” His eyes were speckled with amber.
At least she’d figured out one thing. The amber color only came when their werewolves were close to the surface. Could they control their shifts? Judging by what she’d seen, she thought they could. Soon, she’d get the answers to all her many questions.
“Okay,” she said meekly. “But I just—”
Mike held up his hand, silencing her again. She ached to say more but held her tongue.
Darrold sat down on the coffee table in front of her. “First things first. Do you want us? Do you want to be our mate?” He hesitated the blurted. “Do you love us?”
She glanced at Mike, seeking permission to speak. When he gave a curt nod, she answered, “If you’ll stop asking questions and let me answer…”
Their scowls told her it was no time to joke. She swallowed and did the best she could. But could she lay her feelings on the line? Was she taking a huge risk?
“Do I want you? Yes.” She was relieved to see the tension in their faces relax. “Do I want to be your mate? If that means being your wife, sharing life, having your children, then yes. As for the last question? Do I love you? I think it’s insane to be saying this, but I do. I don’t understand how it happened, but I do. I love you.”
The thick tension surrounding them lessened as though they’d heaved a collective sigh of relief. Darrold kept talking.
“Good. Then we’ll move your stuff out here to the ranch. Whatever you have back at back at your home, we’ll fetch later. But right now we have another problem.”
She needed to tell them about Bill, but from the look on his face, this wasn’t the time.
“You’re going to apologize to Miss Clara.” He acted as though he assumed she’d argue with him.
Instead, she nodded. “I did. But I’m not sure she heard it.” She’d apologized for bumping into the older werewolf, but then she’d gotten a little mouthy. But how did they know?
“Then you’ll apologize again,” said Byton. “You’ll do it until you make it right.”
“Okay.” She had no problem with apologizing.
Darrold laid a hand on Byton, stopping him from continuing. “Good. Next, we’re going to have to smooth things over with Jake once he cools down. He can be a jerk at times, but he’s basically a good guy. That’s how we figured you must’ve insulted Miss Clara. Jake doesn’t go ballistic over just anything. But talking back to Miss Clara would’ve teed off anybody in town. Unfortunately, you teed off Jake and his buddies.”
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted to get out the rental house for a while.” She held back the need to add, “and to find you.”
Damn it. She couldn’t take it any longer. She had to know. “Why didn’t you guys come for me? If the connection has brought us together, if we’re truly meant to be together, then why did you leave me alone for three days?”
Mike chuckled. “It’s not like we wanted to. Shit, it was hell on earth to stay away from you. But we were trying to make it easier for you. We were giving you time and space to get used to everything. We know finding out we’re werewolves is a lot to handle. We didn’t want to overwhelm you too much. I guess we were wrong not to come and get you.”
“Hold on, you two. You’re missing the important part. So you missed us, huh?” Byton moved closer, narrowing the gap between them.
“I sure did.” She shot Mike a smirk. “Even you.”
“So you’re officially saying you’re ours.” Mike hadn’t said it as a question but more as a statement of fact.
She was more than ready to make a commitment to them. “Yes. I’m your mate.”
Amber flared in Byton’s eyes. “Well, let’s get on with it then.”
She sucked in a hard breath when his hand clenched around her throat. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted her to him and began stalking toward the other side of the room. Slamming her against the wall, he crushed his mouth to hers, releasing the hold on her neck. With his hard body pinning her against the wall, she couldn’t move. His hands were everywhere, pulling at her clothes, even as Mike and Darrold helped remove them.
The kiss deepened, not only in sexuality but in emotional intensity. It was as though he was telling her with his mouth how much he truly cared. His tongue played with hers. His teeth nibbled on her lips as his hands roamed over her body. Soon she was naked, her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers locked behind him as she clung to him. He worked to remove his clothes, sending his shirt flying as his jeans were shoved to the floor. His warm cock pressed against her pussy, promising even more heat to come.
She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, feeling his hard, lean body against her flesh. Using the wall, she thrust her hips forward, begging him to enter her.
He wasn’t a man to be asked twice. Dipping his hand between her legs, he stroked her, his thumb pushing against her clit as a finger dived into her pussy. As though she needed help getting ready for him. She opened to him, her gaze meeting his amber one, and silently urged him to give her his cock. He did so, ramming it deep, hard, and fast. She inhaled, suddenly needing more breath, yet suddenly unable to get it. His cock was so huge, so immense, stretching her vaginal walls until she was sure she would split apart.
Mike and Darrold stripped as they watched. Their soft growls told of their wolves coming to the surface. Yet she didn’t worry that she was making love to animals. Didn’t every man have an animal inside him? It was just that these men had even more of an animal. She would make love to the men that they were, all while taming the beasts within them.
Byton slammed into her over and over again. His hands cupped her breasts as his body kept her fixed against the wall. Soft pants came from her as she gripped his mountainous shoulders.
She was his, all right. She was theirs. And nothing, no one would ever change that.
Her climax built inside her as she closed her eyes to enjoy the swirling mix of sensations. The wondrous connection was there, as well as so many new emotions. Her body tingled, her nerves heightened beyond belief. Every inch of her was sensitized, ready to experience all he could give her. In the same instance, she was in both pain and in ecstasy.
When the climax hit her, she screamed, sending her joy outward. Her body trembled as the release shuddered through her, racking her time and time again as the sensual ways rolled through her. Caught in her own vortex of lust, she was barely aware of Byton stiffening then howling out his release.
Before she had time to recover from her climax, Byton fell away. Darrold caught her and set her gently onto her feet. But she wouldn’t stay on
her feet for long.
He laid his hands on her shoulders then coaxed her to her knees. “Take me in, sugar. I want to feel your warm mouth wrapped around my dick.”
She was more than happy to follow his order. Cupping his balls, she wrapped her hand around his length and put her mouth around him. He moaned and dug his hands into her hair. She began to rock back and forth as his hands caressed her hair. He tasted so good, so musky yet so sweet. Around and around, she wrapped her tongue. Sucking hard then turning him loose, she gave him everything she could. He began his own movements forward and backward, sliding ever so slightly, taking care not to ram his cock to the end of her throat. She played with his balls, moving her fingers as though she were playing an upside-down piano.
“Damn, but that feels so fucking great.”
She smiled, changing the way her mouth fit around his cock. His hands tightened in her hair, and she hollowed her cheeks, sucking harder than before. Her breasts jiggled with her movements, and she ached for one of the other men to hold them. In their absence, she cupped her breast and pinched her nipple between her fingers.
“Shit, sugar, you’re going to make me come.”
Isn’t that the point?
She sucked harder, trying to ensure that he’d come. She couldn’t wait to drink him down. But he had another idea.
When he pulled out, she began to complain. Then he picked her up and turned her around, kissing her on the shoulder as he did.
“As good as your mouth is, I want something even tighter.” His fingers delved into her butthole, preparing her for his entry. As he pushed even harder against her, he positioned his cock at her anus. “Easy does it, sugar.”
Her hands were flat against the wall, her cheek pressed against it. As he bit her neck, he entered her. She let out a little yelp as a swift short pain hit her. But it was soon gone, replaced by an amazing feeling as his cock ordered her anus to open to him.
Slow and easy. That was how he did it. And she loved it.
Her breasts rubbed against the wall, setting up a counter friction, even as he slipped his hands around to cover them. She pushed backward with her ass, hoping he’d shoved into her even harder. He understood and, gripping her butt cheeks, slammed into her hard. She cried out again, not with any kind of pain but in the joy of having him inside her.