by Kate Douglas
Cissy and Steph left, and Cherry pulled the small package with that beautiful scarf out of her bag and laid it across the chair in her bedroom. Staring at the painted silk, at the picture of the two familiar, beloved wolves, she curled up on her bed and sobbed.
Chapter 21
Sunday
“Okay. We’ve got about four hours before the first of the new group show up. I want some answers. Cain? What the hell happened yesterday? You can’t talk to one of our guests like that and think no one’s going to notice.”
Brad glared at Trak. While Cain had occasionally challenged their alpha, Brad had never before forced eye contact with the man, but he couldn’t recall ever being so angry before, either. “You’re right,” he said. “But only because calling her what she is, a bitch, is an insult to every single female wolf here. Trak, you spent most of the week with Fred. You, of all people, should have figured her out.”
“It wasn’t by choice, believe me. I only stuck with her to keep her from leaving and taking her two friends with her. She’s the one who arranged for the private plane. Look, I know she’s petty, mean, and spiteful, but I have no idea what happened that put a bee up Cain’s ass. Or why your woman and her sister and friend bailed out at the crack of dawn.”
“Only because you didn’t want to hear.”
“Cain? Shut the fuck up.” Trak glared at him and Cain had no choice but to lower his eyes and bare his throat, but Trak wasn’t through. “You’ve lost any right to this discussion, and you wouldn’t even be here if not for your partner. Brad? I asked you. What happened?”
So Brad told him. About falling in love with a badly damaged young woman, feeling as if they’d finally gotten through to her when, inexplicably, she’d taken off without a word. Brad repeated what Fred had said about her, what Suni had admitted to saying.
Ronan and Wils were at the table, included because of their involvement with Steph and Christa, and both men listened closely.
“In Suni’s defense,” Ronan said, “and that’s only because I really like Suni, she may have overheard me saying something to your brother, Trak. Lawz asked me what the attraction to Cherry was for Brad and Cain. At the time I didn’t have any idea how you guys felt about her, and I said that you were both good guys and I’d watched you pick out the least attractive women in the past and show them a good time. It wasn’t meant as an insult, and personally I think Cherry is a beautiful woman, but Lawz likes women who are a lot thinner, and my answer made sense to him.”
Wils shrugged. “Face it, Lawz likes to see bones. We don’t, but he can’t see past a woman’s figure to what’s really important.”
Trak nodded, and then he sighed. “Well, crap. You’re right. He likes skinny women.”
Trak turned to Cain, facing him head-on. “I apologize, Cain. I’m sorry. I had no idea what was going on, but it sounds as if Fred deserved your anger. Have you heard from Cherry since she left?”
Cain shook his head. “They wouldn’t have gotten home until late yesterday afternoon at the earliest.”
“Why don’t you call her today? Let her know how you feel. That you’ll be there next week. I still think a week’s wait is a good thing, for both of you, human and wolf.”
Sighing, Cain glanced at Brad. “We talked about it,” Brad said. “We’ve never told Cherry we love her. We don’t want the first time to be over the phone.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Cain took Brad’s hand and held on to it as if it were a lifeline. There were times like this when Brad thought he understood just how deeply Cain loved. The man had so many more levels to him than most people saw. Brad smiled at Cain and turned to Trak.
“Cherry had a horrible experience years ago with an absolute bastard, something that damaged her in ways we’ll probably never truly understand. Neither of us felt she was ready to hear the words and accept them. The fact that she’s as successful as she is shows us just how strong the woman can be, but I imagine Fred’s hateful words have been harder for her to handle than something like this might be for another woman.”
Cain sighed and glanced at Brad and then at their clasped hands. “My feeling is, we get through this week and then Brad and I want to take off at the end of the week. Plan on us being away for the weekend. Can you get someone to cover until at least the following Monday?”
“For us, too.” Ronan looked at Wils and shrugged. “Hell, Trak … the entire point of Feral Passions is for us to find mates. I think we’ve found ours as well.”
Trak leaned back in his chair and stared at the two men. “You, too? Cherry’s sister and Steph?”
“Yep.” Wils grinned at Ronan. “We’re a team. Turns out Steph and Christa are, too, and they both like both of us. Face it, Trak. It just doesn’t get any better.”
Trak shoved his fingers through his hair and then pushed his chair back from the table and stood. “Okay. I’ll make sure you’re all covered. But that’s one thing I guess we haven’t thought through. Will you be leaving Feral Passions once you’re mated, or do you think you can continue to work here, or maybe cover for some of the guys who haven’t felt comfortable leaving their jobs to be here? At this rate, I’m going to end up shorthanded.”
Brad glanced at Cain, who nodded. Then Brad grabbed Trak’s hand and shook. “Cain and I are staying on. I think the women will be an asset, once they’ve gone through the change.”
“I dunno,” Ronan said. “Women? Change?” He shuddered. “Scary thought. Gentlemen, I think life as we know it is about to change.”
They were all laughing by the time the meeting broke up.
* * *
Christa and Steph showed up just after nine with café mochas for the three of them. Cherry’d just gotten out of the shower and was trying to figure out where to go from there when the girls walked in without knocking.
There were times she was sorry she’d given Christa a key to her apartment.
This was not one of those times. She ducked her head when they cornered her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I really am. Yesterday was so wrong on so many levels.”
“Good. That means we might get some answers this morning.” Christa handed her the mug topped with a layer of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. So what she didn’t need, although she’d gotten on the scale last night and had actually lost a few pounds.
Good sex and hiking in the mountains must work for her.
“Cherry? What happened?”
Christa flopped down on one of the kitchen chairs and Steph took another. Cherry sat on a third and stared at the little chocolate sprinkles on the whipped cream. And then she told them. Everything—about the sex with both men and the things they’d said to her, that they wanted her forever. “And I believed them because they had no reason to lie to me. I was willing to be with them just for the week, because I knew it might be my only chance for such an experience, but then when I heard Suni and Fred talking—”
“Fred’s an absolute bitch, and for what it’s worth, Suni was always trying to make Fred look like she’s nicer than she is.” Christa grabbed Cherry’s hand. “If the guys really love you, you’ll hear from them, though I’d say to give it a week.” She glanced at Steph. “Remember what Ronan and Wils were talking about, that day when they didn’t know we were in the dining room?”
“I do.” Steph grabbed Christa’s hand and smiled at Cherry. “You know, I’ve wanted to hold your sister’s hand in front of you for the past few years, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about it, that I wanted to be her lover as well as her best friend. We learned a lot this last week that’s changed our lives. I’m so glad you’re okay with it.”
Cherry gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. “Think about it, Steph. Christa’s my sister and I love her. You might as well be my sister, and I love you, too. This just means you’re really going to be my sister, right? And now that we have that nonissue settled, what were Ronan and Wils talking about?”
“Sorry. Got off track. Something about there
being a rule that they had to wait a week before contacting any women who’d been at Feral Passions because Trak didn’t want anyone getting involved with a guest unless they were really sure of their feelings, although I don’t know why that would matter.”
Cherry’s mind was spinning, and no matter how she tried to dissect the convoluted conclusion she was coming to, it always spun to exactly the same point. She’d suspected all along, but—
“I think I know why it matters, but you’re going to think I’m nuts. First I want you to look at some pictures I took.” She pulled out her cell phone and went to the photo album. “Just look through the first four pictures.”
Steph and Christa scrolled through the first four shots Cherry had taken of wolves at the resort. “These are great shots.” Steph raised her head and looked at Cherry. After a moment, she shrugged. “What am I looking at?”
“Their eyes. Specifically eye color.”
Christa grabbed the phone. “Okay. Pretty brown eyes. This one has green eyes. This one’s got grayish green eyes. And this one…” She raised her head and stared at Cherry.
“Bright blue eyes, right?”
“What are you saying?” Steph grabbed the phone and looked again.
“Brad has dark brown eyes. They’re so pretty. They make me think of bittersweet chocolate. Cain’s eyes are green. Dark green, like pine tree green. Ronan’s are that really stormy grayish blue that reminds me of the ocean on a cloudy day. And Wils has—”
Looking at the picture, they all said, “Bright blue eyes,” at the same time.
Steph swallowed. “Where are you going with this, Cherry?”
“Did you read that one paranormal romance that I recommended? Alpha’s Woman? The one about the sexy werewolves?”
“Oh, Cherry. C’mon.” Christa laughed. “You’re not saying these guys are werewolves, are you? That’s crazy! Werewolves don’t exist.”
“Did you ever see the blue-eyed wolf and Wils at the same time? Or the one with green eyes when Cain was around? Or the gray-eyed wolf with Ronan or the brown-eyed wolf with Brad? I’ll bet you never did, because I’m convinced they’re one and the same. I never saw man and wolf together, and believe me, I was watching for them. What else would explain wild wolves with manners? Wild wolves that cover their eyes when told not to look? Wild wolves that came to me when I was sad and stayed with me all night so I wouldn’t be alone? I know you think I’m nuts, but if you can come up with another reason that these wolves are humanly intelligent and never appear at the same time as the people I believe they turn into, then I’m wide open. Except I don’t think you can.”
Steph had kept quiet, but she continued staring at the picture. “It would explain that ‘one week no contact’ rule. I mean, I don’t know if fictional werewolves have anything to do with real werewolves—assuming real ones exist, but in the fictional pack, and yes, Cherry, I read the book and I loved it. Anyway, in the fictional pack, when werewolves mate, it’s for life, and generally includes biting the mate and turning them into a wolf, which sounds blatantly impossible.”
“But if it is possible, imagine the life you could live. You and Christa would be mated through your mates, because Ronan and Wils are a pair, aren’t they?”
Christa nodded. She didn’t seem quite as disbelieving at this point. “They are. They’re the ones who encouraged Steph and me to come out to you. I don’t know why I worried about telling you the truth. It just felt like such a huge step. The parents aren’t going to like it.”
Cherry laughed. “Personally, I love it. You’ve always been the perfect daughter and I’ve been the huge disappointment. At least now we’ll be on equal footing.”
“Yeah,” Christa said drily. “We’ll both be pariahs!”
“Four-legged pariahs.” Steph’s droll comment had them all in hysterics.
They were all sort of mulling through the past week and trying to see things through the filter of werewolves. As much as she kept looking for proof she was wrong, Cherry couldn’t find it. Her phone chimed, and she grabbed it out of her handbag. “Probably the office, checking to make sure I’m coming back to work tomorrow.”
She stared at the text for so long that Christa reached across the table and took the phone out of her hands. “Wow! Steph, it’s from Brad.”
“What’s it say?”
Cherry didn’t wait for Christa to read the text. “‘Don’t give up on us. Cain and I love you. We’ll see you at the end of the week.”
“That is so cool.” Steph smiled at Christa. “I wish Ronan and Wils would come, too.”
“You never know.” Cherry stared at her phone and sipped her café mocha, but when she raised her head she was smiling. “There never was a Gina, was there? You know, that mythical friend who dropped out of the three-person vacation package? The one whose spot I took?”
Christa and Steph looked at each other and then they both smiled at Cherry.
“I thought so. Thank you. Thank you both so much.”
This was going to be a very long week.
Chapter 22
Friday
Cherry walked the last block to her apartment, convinced she might not make it. This had been the longest week at work she could remember, and the only thing that had kept her going was the hope that Cain and Brad might be here tomorrow.
She hadn’t heard from them all week long, and she missed them with a fierce longing unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. Tonight she was going to take a long shower, have something easy for dinner, and then sleep. With luck she wouldn’t look like death warmed over if—no, when—the guys showed up.
She had to believe. She couldn’t not believe!
Normally she’d take the stairs—she was only on the fourth floor—but tonight she got into the elevator and made the quick trip to her level. She hung her tote bag over her shoulder and unlocked the door, closed and locked it behind her, and dropped the bag on the floor. Kicking off her shoes, she walked into her bedroom to get out of the long skirt and tank top she’d worn to the office.
Thank goodness the company wasn’t too strong on dress codes. Days like today, the last thing she wanted to worry about was … a wolf on her bed?
Big and dark with soulful brown eyes, he stood alone in the middle of her bed with his head down, ears flattened to his skull, and his tail tucked between his legs, and all she could do was stand there with her hands over her mouth and cry. For about ten seconds. Then she flew to the bed, wrapped her arms around him, and sobbed.
“Brad! You came! Where’s Cain? Is he here? I am so sorry I left without talking to you. I was wrong, but I was such a mess and Fred and Suni said a bunch of stuff and I should have gone to you first, but I was totally humiliated and I’m such a coward that I left. I was wrong and I’m so sorry.”
“I’m here, Cheraza.”
“Cain?” She whipped about and he was standing there beside the door, his hands at his sides, a half smile twisting his lips. “Oh, Cain.” Trembling from head to toe, she stood there as if rooted to the floor. “This is Brad, isn’t it? You can both turn into wolves, right?”
Cain reached her in two steps and she was in his arms, her mouth crushed beneath his kiss, her face wet with her tears and his. The wolf whimpered, and Cain ended the kiss, laughing.
“Yes, my darling Cheraza. I told Brad you had us figured out.”
“I did, at least I was almost positive, but I wasn’t sure until now. You’re so beautiful when you’re wolves. And I love you. I love you both so much. Will you forgive me? I never should have doubted you, but you just seemed too…” Shaking her head, she tugged Cain closer to the bed and buried her face in the thick ruff at the back of Brad’s neck and sobbed.
He licked her face, washed away the tears, and she finally pulled it all together. She took a shaky breath and asked, “Is it hard to shift? I love you as wolves, but I want you, Brad. I’ve missed you both so much.”
He stood and bowed his head and his body rippled and flowed, and
with each ripple more skin appeared, and while it was soundless—thank goodness—his bone structure changed until it was complete. She’d thought the change would take a long time, but in less than a minute it was Brad on his hands and knees, gloriously naked on her bed.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, so close she felt his heart thundering in his chest, heard the break in his breathing as if his emotions threatened to overtake him. She couldn’t let go of them—both men were even more wonderful than she remembered.
Cain pulled away far enough to look at her. His eyes were filled with tears and his voice broke when he said, “You need better locks on your door. Do you have any idea how easy it was to break in here?”
Laughing, crying, she kissed him. “What girl needs to worry about locks when she’s got two fierce wolves to protect her?”
“Excellent point.” He kissed her again and she tasted salt. Brad was right. Tough guy Cain really was a softy. They made love, the three of them as one, and Cherry realized there were no doubts in her mind or her heart. She loved both of them and they obviously loved her. They’d come after her, hadn’t they? They all showered together. Brad got his clothes out of her closet where he’d hidden them earlier and dressed while Cherry ordered pizzas delivered. Cain opened a bottle of wine they’d brought, and finally the three of them settled in to talk.
“How did you know? Cain was convinced you’d figured us out from the beginning, but how?” Brad twirled her long, damp hair with his fingers. He’d not stopped touching her since his shift.
“Your eyes gave you away. Yours are dark chocolate brown and Cain’s the color of pine trees. Two übersmart wolves hanging around with eyes that same color?” She laughed. “Impossible.”
“As impossible as men changing into wolves?”
“No, Cain.” She kissed him. “That’s entirely possible. I’m a mathematician. All I need is proof. And you are absolute proof.”