Loved by Wolves [Call of the Wolf 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Diane Leyne

  “So you did it just to please him?”

  “Partly. But as the words came out of my mouth, I realized they were true. I did want to be a doctor and help people, but not just people. I wanted to help shifters as well. I’d seen my cousins, so fit and healthy, have an injury like a broken bone that human doctors struggled with because of how the shifting affected the skeleton.”

  “And you never felt the need to learn more about your parents or their families?”

  “No. I was happy, and working my ass off to get into medical school. I didn’t have the time or interest in tracking down people who clearly had no interest in me.”

  * * * *

  The more they talked, the more Penelope realized that she liked Oliver. He was funny and kind and loved his family. She realized something else, too. Her attraction to Oliver hadn’t lessened. In fact, it was getting stronger. She was physically attracted to him. She had dreamed of those strong yet delicate surgeons’ hands on her body, but now she was starting to get to know him and realized that she liked him. She liked him a lot as a person, and this scared her more than anything.

  She started to rise, stammering an excuse about seeing how things were going in the kitchen, when he reached out a hand to stop her.

  Gripping her wrist, he said, “Please, Pen, don’t rush away.”

  “I’m sorry, Oliver. I really do have to get back to work. The breakfast crowd is gone, but we have to get ready for the lunch rush.”

  “You’re not open in the evenings. Let me buy you dinner, or better yet, let me make you dinner. I’m not half-bad in the kitchen. And I swear to you that I won’t make any moves on you. I just want to talk to you and get to know you better. I know about your wolves. Your friends told me when I asked if you were single.”

  “Did they also tell you that we aren’t formally Mated?”

  “They didn’t have to. If you were Mated, it would have been so obvious I wouldn’t have to ask if you were single. I’d seen Jack and John here at the café last week, and I knew they were shifters. I could see that there was something between you all, but I’ve been around wolves long enough to know a Mated couple or triad or whatever when I see one, and I know you weren’t.

  “Your friends didn’t say much. Is it out of line if I ask why you all haven’t Mated?”

  Penelope was taken aback by the question. It wasn’t something she generally talked about, but she couldn’t just blow off his question with some glib answer. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes and then when he reached out to hold her hand and offer silent comfort, the words just spilled out.

  “We tried. We tried for a full year. We tried everything, and it wouldn’t take. I’ve spent the last four years trying to figure out how to make it happen.”

  “You have? What about them?”

  “They tried to help at first, but they’ve been disappointed so many times that they’ve convinced themselves that we are fine as we are.”

  “But you aren’t fine. Anyone can see that. You look sad and exhausted. That’s another reason I knew you weren’t Mated. If you were, you would have had the boundless wolf energy. Damn, they can be exhausting to be around sometimes, can’t they?”

  “You can say that again. How did you cope, growing up with a family of them?”

  “By keeping as fit as possible. I used to do marathons for a while, but medical school made it impossible to keep that up. I still try to run twenty-six miles a week, but now I do it over a period of seven days and not all at once.” Oliver smiled, and Penelope found herself melting a bit inside and made an impulsive decision.

  “No dinner, and we can only ever be friends, but a friend of mine, Dina, is part of an art exhibit over in Trenton tonight. It’ll just be finger foods and modern art, but if you want to go…”

  Oliver hesitated, and Penelope suddenly realized just how much she wanted him to say yes.

  “I can do friends. But are you sure your wolves won’t mind?”

  “Firstly, I have my own friends and they don’t control who I hang with, and secondly, I asked them and they all laughed at the thought. My wolves, as you call them, are not cultured. If it was a football game, they’d be there in a flash. Art exhibit. Symphony. Musical Theatre. I’m on my own or with one of my girlfriends.”

  “In that case, what time do I pick you up?”

  “It’s not a date. I can pick you up.”

  “I’ve seen your car. I’m six five.” He grinned. “My legs won’t fit in yours. I’ll drive.”

  Penelope found herself grinning back.

  “Pick me up at seven.”

  “It’s a date! Or rather it’s an outing between two platonic friends who are attracted to one another but one of which is in a semi-committed relationship with four wolves so nothing untoward will happen. Did I sum things up correctly?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. See you at seven.”

  Penelope watched as Oliver stood and untied Otis’s leash from the railing before sliding some money for the bill under his cup. Then he walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Platonic friends can give kisses on the cheek even if what they really want is to drag their platonic friend home caveman style and make love to her until she can’t see straight and will walk bowlegged for a week.

  “Come, Otis.”

  Penelope watched his retreating form until he was out of sight. Then she sat back down and took a big sip of coffee, wishing it were something stronger. Damn Oliver for putting that picture in her head and causing the throbbing in her clit. Was she crazy for going to the art exhibit with him? It couldn’t be that bad, could it? A bunch of abstract paintings and some finger food. Maybe they’d stop for coffee afterward and laugh about what they’d seen. Platonic friends. She could do it.

  * * * *

  Okay, this was a total mistake, thought Penelope as she gazed at the nude paintings of couples engaged in all sorts of sexual activities. She tried to rush through the exhibit, just checking out Dina’s paintings so she could congratulate her friend and they could get out of there, but Oliver decided to check out each and every picture.

  One by one, he spent several minutes at each one, often looking it at from different angles and often asking Penelope what she thought. The worst moment was when she saw the photo of the small blonde woman and the lean redheaded man. She was on her knees in front of him and his cock was in her mouth. She could only see the back of her head and his head was thrown back in ecstasy. It would almost have been them. Penelope felt flushed, heat rising in her face. Even Oliver lost his unruffled demeanor for a moment, and lowered his program to his groin to hide the bulge in his trousers.

  Penelope closed her eyes for a second. That bulge in his trousers had caused an answering throb in her pussy. Damn, she wanted to recreate that picture. She wanted to drop to her knees and unzip his pants and suck down his cock until he was as hard as iron, and then she wanted him to push that iron-hard cock inside her and ride her hard.

  She snuck another glance at Oliver, and he wasn’t looking at the painting any longer. He was staring at her chest. Penelope realized that her nipples were hard and pushing against the thin material of her top. She immediately raised her program and pretended to look through it.

  She started when Oliver gripped her upper arm and whispered in her ear.

  “We’re a hell of a pair, aren’t we? I think it might be time to go. Where’s your friend? We should say our good-byes.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up outside of Penelope’s house. Oliver got out of his car and walked around to help her out before walking her up to the steps and waiting while she unlocked the door. She opened it and walked in, holding it, waiting for him to follow her, which he did after a slight hesitation.

  “I know I promised you dinner, but I changed my mind. I don’t want to spend any more time alone with you, not until you are free to be with me.”

  He pulled her close to him, so close she could feel his erection pressing against he
r stomach.

  “I want you, Pen. Not just your body, but you. You’re beautiful and hot and funny and smart and kind and everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. But you aren’t free to be with me. Even though you aren’t Mated to your wolves, they are in your heart. I wish you well on your search for answers, but if you ever decide to give up your quest and move on with your life, I’ll be waiting. But before I go, I have to taste you, just this once.”

  And then he kissed her, and Penelope felt her knees start to buckle. He kissed her like a starving man at a buffet, his hot, wet tongue invading her mouth like it had a right to be there, demanding her response, and she gave it to him. She kissed him back as hard as he kissed her, and then when she felt his hand sliding up over her breast, she pushed it into his hand, anxious to feel his touch.

  Oliver groaned as he ground his cock against her. Without thinking, she started to slide to her knees, but he gripped her arms and prevented her from reaching the ground. Pulling her back into his embrace, he hugged her to him tightly.

  Penelope knew that he could feel the tight points of her nipples pressing into his chest, and she was so wet that surely he could smell her arousal. She’d never been with any man in her entire life except for her four wolves, but she desperately wanted Oliver. She moved impatiently in his arms, pulling back so she could kiss his luscious mouth, and this time, it was her mouth that was in charge, her tongue that was the invader.

  She felt his hands slide down her body and grip her butt as she ravaged his mouth. Then his hands went lower, grasping the hem of her skirt and pulling it up so he could cup her cheeks again but this time her thong not providing any protection. The heat from his hands seemed to sear her skin as he gripped her and pulled her up so that her feet were off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he started moving, carrying her over to the couch where he set her down carefully before laying down on top of her.

  Penelope expected him to strip off her dress and ravage her. She wanted to pull down his pants and touch his cock, lick it, suck it, take it into her body, but he didn’t move. He laid on her, his weight on his forearms, panting hard, his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. When she moved impatiently, he stilled her with the weight of his body.

  “No.”

  Of all the words she expected to hear, that wasn’t even on the list.

  “No. I agreed this would be platonic.”

  “But…” Penelope wasn’t sure why she was arguing. She wanted platonic, too. She did. It was just she’d never been so attracted to anyone other than her four wolves, and she’d lost control.

  “You’re right. This was a mistake.” The words were hard to say, but that must have been what he was waiting for because he rolled off her and helped her sit up. Then sat beside her, wrapped a long arm around her, and pulled her tight to his side.

  “One part of me wanted you to tell me that you were willing to throw everything away for me, but the rational part of me told me that these were the men you’d loved all your life and I’m just an aberration. You are frustrated because you haven’t been able to be Mated and are just letting off steam.”

  “No, no, Oliver. You have it all wrong.” She had to make him understand. “All my life, I’ve known that they were mine and I was theirs. I’ve never really ever looked at another man until you. I have no idea why, but I want you so badly I can taste it. Hell, I want to taste you. If you hadn’t stopped me, I’d have been on my knees sucking your cock until you came in my mouth.”

  “And then you’d have hated yourself in the morning. That’s why I had to stop you. You’re upset and confused because of the mating problem. I’m just…convenient.”

  “No, that’s not it at all, Oliver. My feelings of attraction for you are as strong as my feelings for them, and that scares me. This has never happened to me before. It has always been all about them. But these last years when we’ve been trying unsuccessfully to Mate have been hard, and in some ways, we’ve been pulling part. I don’t know how much longer I can last with four wolves. I’m only human.”

  “So what happens next?”

  “We have another lead on the Mating problem.”

  “And if it doesn’t pan out?”

  “Six months ago, hell, one month ago, I’d have said then I try again and again and again. But you are right. I’m tired. I can’t handle four wolves any more. I’m not happy anymore. They aren’t happy anymore. Maybe it’s time for us all to move on.”

  “What if you hadn’t met me? Would you feel the same way?” Oliver’s voice was wary, but Penelope knew the answer to this one. She could answer with confidence.

  “Whether you’d come to Harmony or not, things were coming to a head. Maybe your coming has accelerated the process, but one way or another, we can’t continue like this.”

  “I don’t want to make your life any more difficult and I don’t want to pressure you. Take your time and be sure of what you want, baby, and I’ll be waiting and hoping. But please don’t make me wait too long for your answer. I meant it about being platonic. After tonight, I won’t even kiss you again unless you are free to be with me.”

  Oliver stood, reluctance in every movement. Penelope started to stand as well, but he urged her back down.

  “If you kiss me again, I’m not going to be able to stop until I am buried inside you, so unless you want that right here and now, don’t touch me again. I’m using up the last shred of my self-control walking away from you tonight. I’m going to continue to come to the café because I can’t imagine not seeing you again, but I don’t want to be alone with you unless you are ready to make love with me and publicly acknowledge me as your man.”

  Penelope sat back down abruptly as her knees gave out. She could see his hard cock pushing against his pants to be free and she could see the struggle on his face, and she realized that she loved and respected him more than ever as she watched him walk out the door and close it behind him without a backward glance.

  Love. Where did that come from? Did she love Oliver? She barely knew him, but she did! Oh, god. What was she going to do?

  Chapter Seven

  Kent came bounding up the stairs to her front door, knocked once, and then let himself in, closely followed by his brother Tucker. Kent had come out of their mother’s womb first, and he led his brother everywhere from the high school football team, teenaged mischief, and even into their profession of firefighter. He never forced his brother to do anything he didn’t want to do, but Tucker always followed his big brother happily.

  That was why it had been so shocking when they’d done the Mating Ceremony and it hadn’t worked the first time. Everyone, including Jack and John, had assumed Kent was the Alpha. Hell, he’d led the other three into all sorts of mischief growing up and gotten them in all sorts of trouble with pranks, but he always wolfed-up and taken responsibility. He was Alpha by nature, but not an Alpha, as it turned out.

  He knew that this should upset him. If he really was the Alpha, he probably would be, but his main feeling upon learning he wasn’t the true Alpha, other than the extreme disappointment that they couldn’t complete the ceremony with Penelope and tie them all together forever, was relief. He hadn’t realized it at first. And then he’d tried to deny it. But at the end of the day, if he was very honest with himself, he was relieved he wasn’t the Alpha. He wasn’t sure why. He loved bossing around his baby brother. And he also loved bossing around John and Jack. But being bossy wasn’t the same as being in charge. The Alpha, after the Mating Ceremony, would be responsible for all of them, forever. He’d make the decisions and father the pups.

  He had enough responsibility at work. He was the captain of the firehouse when he was on shift. He was responsible for his men in life-and-death situations. He didn’t want to have to come home and be in charge there, too. But how could he admit this? They all looked to him, so he carried on like he had when they were kids, but sometimes he wished there was someone else to take the leadership burden.


  He thought of his brother, but Tucker was too happy-go-lucky and laid back to be an Alpha. He wouldn’t like the burden any better than Kent did. Jack? John? Maybe, but trial after trial had proven that neither of them were the Alpha either and neither had seemed too bothered by it. They’d grown up without expectations of being the Alpha since he, Kent, was the oldest and neither of them had shown the slightest resentment of him having that role. Hell, Jack probably had more interest in shopping for clothes than being the Alpha. John was a computer nerd. He spent hours tinkering with the machines and had also taught himself to program, which occupied much of his spare time. He was too introverted to make a good Alpha.

  Which meant four wolves, none of whom either wanted to be or were really suited to be an Alpha and were happy with that part of their situation.

  Things would have been fine except for the situation with Penelope. He loved her so much. They all did. And they could all see just how much their relationship was taking a toll on her. She was tired all the time, and even her naturally sunny disposition had suffered. And now Jack and John had told him that there was another man, a human, expressing interest in her, and they were afraid that she was feeling something for him, too.

  And they all looked to Kent for answers, answers he didn’t have. He’d been avoiding even having the conversation with her. He knew she was going on one of her quests again tomorrow. He could avoid the conversation one more night, and they would all talk when she got back. Who knew? Maybe this time, she’d have the answer they’d all been searching for. More likely, it would be another wild good chase. Regardless, they’d talk when she got back. Even without Oliver in the picture, things couldn’t go on as they had. With him in the picture, they were just forced to stop delaying the inevitable conversation.