by Crissy Smith
“That’s enough, or I’ll take you both to the ground,” Mac warned.
The pleasant scent of arousal and love filled the room, and Kyle had to hold in a sigh. He wanted what the three had. Kyle glanced at Shawn and saw the other man watching him. He had to fight every instinct in his body to go to the other man and give him his own kiss. He bit the inside of his cheek, using the pain to pull himself together.
Instead of kissing Shawn, Kyle nodded in greeting then walked around to the other side of the table. Shawn’s lips quirked. Yeah, apparently he knew Kyle didn’t want to be any closer to him than he had to be.
Kyle placed his file in front of him as he prepared for the meeting. The room started to fill with other staff members, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t totally ignore Shawn. Every time he peeked, Shawn was there…sitting back in his chair watching him.
Kyle tried to pay attention as Mac went over a big contract the company had been rewarded. But Shawn’s presence was distracting him and his bodily needs were urgent. Since most of the department heads were also wolf shifters, he knew if he wasn’t careful everyone in the room would know he wanted Shawn. As it was, Trevor had sent a few curious looks his way already.
Kyle missed Mac ending the meeting, lost in his own thoughts. He let the room clear out before he stood. Or tried to. Of course it didn’t look like Shawn was in any hurry either.
Kyle kept his head down as he headed towards the door. He wasn’t surprised when Shawn blocked his exit.
“You’ve never dropped your eyes to anyone but our Alpha. Why are you doing it now?”
Kyle took a deep breath before he met the other man’s gaze. “Why are you really here?” he asked, instead of answering Shawn’s question. He hated himself for asking but he couldn’t help himself. This man was his mate.
“I told you. I came back to claim you. You are my mate,” Shawn told him sternly.
“I knew that two years ago. What, you just figured it out?” he accused.
Shawn shook his head. “No.”
Before he could continue, Kyle interrupted, “So you did know. I thought so.”
“I knew,” Shawn admitted softly.
“But you didn’t want me before.”
Shawn shook his head immediately, and Kyle held up a hand to stall his argument. “No, you already proved you didn’t. Well, maybe now it’s me who doesn’t want you.”
Shawn gasped in surprise and Kyle used the moment to slip past him. Even though his wolf was howling inside for its mate, he continued to walk from Shawn.
Better to stop any further hurt now than to have his heart broken later…again.
Bree Winters paused at the trunk of her car and watched the man she’d met earlier that day stomp to his car. He was so ruggedly handsome, she didn’t see why everyone in the parking lot didn’t stop to stare. While the man was obviously upset about something from the set of his shoulders and frown on his face, it didn’t take away from his attractiveness.
She’d asked around and found that Shawn King worked in security. Actually, he was head of security and the brother to the VP, Trevor King.
She definitely thought Shawn looked more cut out for security than businessman. The muscles in his shoulders and arms stretched and rippled as he pounded his fist against the door of his SUV.
The fit of anger probably should have frightened her. Instead it was an incredible turn on. Her panties were soaked with the juices from her arousal. She slid around to the passenger side of her car so she could still keep an eye on Shawn. He now sat in the driver’s seat with his head bent. Every instinct she had as a woman wanted to run and comfort him.
But common sense prevailed. She didn’t stand a chance with a man like Shawn King. She was just Bree—the graphic designer that liked to wear jeans and colour her hair. If she took her heeled boots off, she would be able to see the rainbow of colours she had painted her toenails.
No, Bree was much more at home in comfortable clothes with bright colours than a little black dress.
Depressed by her own thoughts, she purposely turned her head away and scrambled to the other side of her vehicle. She unlocked the door and climbed inside, not letting herself look up when she heard a squeal of tires telling her Shawn had left.
Chapter Three
Shawn closed the door to his condo and threw his keys on top of the coffee table as he stomped to the kitchen.
He pulled the fridge door open with more force than necessary and it rocked under the assault. He cursed at himself before he reached in and pulled out a bottle of beer.
Kyle had proved to be more stubborn than Shawn had expected. Shawn had made sure he was there every morning when Kyle arrived at work so they could ride the elevator together. He came up with hundreds of reasons for visiting him during the day. He touched, whispered, and tried to seduce him at every moment. And still nothing!
Oh, he knew he deserved this treatment and more, but it was frustrating him to no end. He ached to hold Kyle close and kiss away all the hurt he’d caused.
And he still hadn’t told Kyle about Bree. Bree. The thought of his female mate brought a smile to his face. He’d looked through her file and memorised every bit of information in it.
She worked in the company’s graphic design department, which explained the faded, frayed jeans and T-shirt she wore. It was a lot more relaxed down on that floor than anywhere else in the building.
From what information he’d gathered, she was good at her job. Very good. There was no mention of whether she knew about wolf shifters or not, so he was going with her not knowing. That would be an obstacle they would have to cross, but Shawn was sure with him and Kyle helping, she would do well in their world.
He wanted so badly to tell Kyle about her but he wasn’t sure how the man would react. Would Kyle turn Bree away like Shawn had him? He couldn’t take the chance. Kyle was angry and Shawn wouldn’t let him make the same mistake.
A solid, loud knock came from the front door and he growled. He wasn’t in the mood for company. Well…not unless it was Kyle coming over to give himself to Shawn, but that wasn’t likely at all.
He slammed his unopened beer on the counter and slowly made his way to the door. Halfway there, he knew who his visitor was. He could smell who was at the door.
Opening the door, he frowned at his brother. “What?”
Trevor just smiled and shouldered his way past. Shawn held in a scream of frustration and closed the door to follow his brother back to the kitchen.
By the time he reached his brother Trevor had two beers opened and held one out to him. “Want to talk about it?”
No, he didn’t. “About what?” he asked instead.
Trevor didn’t answer, just stood there taking long pulls of his brew.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Shawn told him, but his voice wavered.
No response other than a raised eyebrow.
“I fucked up,” he finally admitted.
Trevor chuckled. “Yeah, worked that one out on my own. Want to tell me what happened between you and Kyle?”
Shawn scrubbed his hand roughly over his face. “Shit, man…” How could he explain when even he wasn’t certain why he’d done it. Plus if he was honest, he didn’t want to see the disappointment in his brother’s eyes.
Trevor finished his beer and threw the bottle into the trashcan. “You sure he’s your mate?”
Shawn sighed and took a drink of his own beer. The cold liquid went down smoothly and soothed some of his anxiety. “I ran. There is no other word for it. I knew Kyle was my mate, and I ran,” he admitted for the first time to anyone besides himself.
Trevor nodded but didn’t comment. Shawn knew his brother was giving him time to work out what he needed to say. He appreciated his brother’s restraint from commenting, since Trevor had been born to issue orders and take control. He relaxed where he leant against the cabinet.
“That night with Kyle took me by complete surprise,” he started to explain. �
��I wasn’t ready for a mate, for settling down. For…anything.” Shawn drained his bottle as tears pricked his eyes. “Now it may be too late.”
Trevor reached over and took the empty beer from his hand. “Why were you afraid?”
Shawn shook his head in denial. He hadn’t been afraid. Just not ready. “I wasn’t…”
“You were,” his brother interrupted. “And if you don’t admit it to Kyle and tell him how you feel, you will never win him back.”
Shawn scowled. Admit to his mate he had been scared? No, he could never do that. He was the more dominant male of the two. Now that he knew they had a human female mate, it would fall on him even more to take care of the two.
Shawn opened his mouth to explain that to his brother but Trevor clasped his hands down on his shoulders. “Whatever you think about being the alpha, forget right now.”
Shawn blinked up in surprise.
“The thing about having a mate or mates is that it all balances. That’s nature’s way of keeping the peace. I tend to go off and act before thinking it through, while Mac always looks ahead to see all possible reactions.”
Shawn nodded. He’d seen that for himself throughout the years the two men had been together.
“That doesn’t make Mac weak—it makes him strong and smart,” Trevor added.
“Yes, but…” Shawn started to cut in. He and Kyle weren’t the same.
Trevor shook his head. “Add Annabelle into the mix and we have the loving nature of a mate who holds us both together. A referee of sorts. It balances.”
Shawn closed his eyes to really listen. What he heard was the love his brother had for his mates in his words.
“I wasn’t complete with just Mac. I loved him but there was something missing. I never felt loved and in control until they were both at my sides.”
Shawn peeked up to look at his brother’s face.
“I want that for you. Come clean with Kyle. Tell him why you ran and let him tell you how that made him feel. Only then will the two of you be able to move forward and start your lives. Then look for your other mate.”
Shawn knew Trevor was right. Partially anyway. He’d already found their other mate. But it didn’t seem right to tell Trevor before Kyle knew, so he kept that secret to himself. But as soon as he had Kyle back, he would do everything in his power to bring Bree in quickly. Kyle deserved her. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed. “I’ll try.”
He found himself embraced and Shawn let his arms go around Trevor’s waist. He took comfort from the other man. He had a feeling Kyle wouldn’t see things so simply, but maybe with the support of his family, they could fix the mess he’d made.
* * * *
Kyle was surprised Shawn wasn’t waiting for him when he entered work on Monday morning. For the past week, every time he turned around the other man was there.
He never would have admitted it to anyone else but he found that endearing. Shawn was making no secret of the fact that he was there for him.
He couldn’t help but look over the near empty lobby as he made his way to the elevator. Had he finally ran Shawn off? Had his need to cause the other man pain like he’d felt backfired and driven Shawn away from him?
With a heavy heart he entered the metal box to go up to his office.
If Shawn gave up after just one week, then he couldn’t have been that serious about claiming me, his head told him. But his heart ached for his mate.
He looked up when the doors opened, hoping to see Shawn already there. His stomach fell when the entry was empty. Kyle put his head down and made his way to his desk. Tears burned as his hope died. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Shawn had never been able to stay in one place for long. Why had he thought he could change Shawn’s nature?
He returned greetings from those already working as he made his way to his office. There, he closed the door and walked to the window. He didn’t have much of a view. His side of the building faced another skyscraper. Still it felt good to be able to look outside and see the sun rise.
Unlike a lot of the shifters he’d both grown up with and was now friends with, Kyle had always been more of a city guy. The need to shift and run always hit him close to the full moon, but most of the time he felt more at home in the city than in the wild.
The traffic, the noise, and all of the people made him feel like he belonged. His wolf was strong and he had many Alpha urges, but around other dominant wolves his brother wolf wanted to submit. But that was a feeling he could never give in to.
He often wondered what it would be like in a committed trio relationship. Would his female want him to take a more aggressive role? He’d always worried about that. While he was okay with the thought of Shawn taking control of things, a small part of him wanted to be the protector too.
What was he thinking? He couldn’t even keep his one mate interested. What would he do with two?
With a deep sigh, he turned back to his desk. He had to finish his current file to get to the graphic design department.
Chapter Four
Shawn was dying as he did his best to stay away from Kyle. It hadn’t been fair to stalk the man all day long and interrupt his work as he had been doing. After his talk with his brother and the whole weekend alone to think about it, he knew he needed to be fair to Kyle.
He needed to apologise first and see if they could move from there. Causing Kyle distress at work was not the way to go.
So he had got up early and to his office before anyone else was in the building. He’d watched through the security camera as Kyle had entered and made his way upstairs. He wasn’t sure, but it had looked like Kyle had been looking around for something or someone. Maybe him? Wishful thinking on his part.
It was only ten minutes later when Bree had arrived. He wondered if she and Kyle had ever run into each other. No, he didn’t think so. If Kyle had found his female mate, he would have told Shawn. Or maybe not. Shawn sure hadn’t told Kyle yet.
His whole personal life was a complete mess. But he was a man of action. He had to do something.
A check of his watch showed it was late. He’d made it all day. That was an accomplishment in itself. Before Kyle left for the day, he would ask the other man out to dinner. Maybe if they were out in public, Kyle would feel more comfortable with the two of them getting together. It was a far cry from what he really wanted to do. But he knew Kyle would not appreciate being dragged to Shawn’s condo and tied to his bed for a week… No—a month.
The thought of having Kyle handcuffed to his bed, open for Shawn’s exploration, had his cock perking up. He hadn’t been with anyone since the night he realised Kyle was his. He’d come close a few times back in London but could never go through with it. The other men hadn’t been Kyle. Finally coming to his senses, he had come back home.
His condo was in a pack-owned community so they would have the safety of others like them around. He had made sure it had enough rooms that Kyle could set up a home office and he could have a gym.
Kyle had always loved to run, so the park across the street would be a selling point too.. There was lots of room for Bree too. The condo was plenty big for three people, and as soon as he knew Bree better, he would make sure she had everything she needed also.
Everything he had done since he’d been back had been for Kyle. Adding Bree complicated things, but in the best of ways. Now he just prayed it wasn’t too late. He longed to spend every spare minute with the two of them.
Kyle had always wanted his mates. Shawn had known that, which made his betrayal even worse. He had sworn to himself that once Kyle accepted him, he wouldn’t rest until he found their third. Bree had come as a pleasant surprise but they couldn’t wait too long. While all signs pointed to her being single, a great woman like that wouldn’t stay alone for long.
He wanted what his brother had. More than that, he wanted it for Kyle. He would show his mates how much they were loved—if it took the rest of his life.
* * * *
Kyle stood from his desk
and stretched. His jacket and tie had been abandoned hours ago along with most of his energy. The account he had been working on for the last couple of weeks was finally coming together. It had taken all of his concentration but he had made quite a bit of headway on it.
It was already after seven and he was more than ready to head home. He had tried to tell himself he hadn’t been waiting on Shawn to show up, but that was a lie. Then he’d worked late hoping that Shawn would see he was alone and come by.
Angry with himself for his weakness, he slammed his briefcase shut and turned to head for the door.
He stopped short, blinking several times to make sure his tired mind hadn’t conjured up the object of his affection. But no… Shawn was standing just inside his door with his hands in his pockets.
“Hi,” Kyle greeted shyly.
Shawn nodded. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I was just checking to make sure you were all right. It’s pretty late and…”
Kyle grinned. He had never seen the other man so nervous. They’d been friends for years. They had snuck out as young pups, stole his dad’s truck when they were sixteen, and got in bar fights at eighteen. Now ten years later, they stood in the same room and could barely talk. It was just…funny.
As he started to chuckle, Shawn’s eyes narrowed and he took a step back.
Oh, that was even better! Was Shawn scared of him? He laughed outright, holding his stomach.
Shawn cleared his throat. “Are you okay,” he asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
Kyle tried to calm down and waved him closer. He looked unsure but Shawn finally took several steps further into the room. He looked hot in his expensive, custom-cut suit, and Kyle wanted to run his hands all over Shawn’s body.
Several deep breaths later, Kyle had control of himself. He leant back against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was finishing up some paperwork. What’s your excuse to still be here?”