by Beth Rosalee
“Okay, but no touching. I can’t handle whatever the hell that is,” I respond as I sit back on the couch and wait patiently for someone to start talking.
“I’m going home; y’all can handle this shit without me,” the asshole says as he storms out of the office, slamming the door behind him. It makes me jump and nearly fall off the couch again.
“Asshole,” I grumble as I straighten myself out in my seat.
A car outside roars to life, followed by the asshole revving the engine so hard the entire office rattles. Then, the tires screech as he peels out of the parking lot like the world is after him.
What the hell is his problem, I wonder, as I look at the others wide-eyed.
“Just ignore him, Beautiful; he’s a big grump sometimes,” Wyatt says in response to my look.
Grump, right, that’s what I’d call that. He didn’t seem grumpy to me, just a straight up asshole…so why does that thought send heat straight to my core> Groaning internally, I seem to be doing that a lot in this town, I try and focus back of the rest of the Adonis squad. Looking at them, they all seem to be uncomfortable and holding their breath.
Um, ok then.
“Are y’all okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Come on, let’s go look at the extra cars for you to pick from. I mean, if you’re ready,” Tate says while just barely holding back a huge smile.
“Okay…yeah, let’s go see what y’all got.”
I stand as they all move forward, making me scurry out of the door to make sure I don’t get touched by them again. After I clear the door and get into the parking lot out front, I step to the side so the guys can lead me to the cars. I wonder what kind of cars they have; do they have a Prius hiding back there? If they do, I’m going to firstly die of laughter. Secondly, I’m not driving a damn Prius, I’ll wait for the lady to call me before I drive that thing.
“Come on, they are back here in the garage.” Liam says taking the lead.
Tate walks up next to me, almost brushing arms with me. I can feel the heat off his muscled arm, that heat and his proximity light my body up like fireworks. He never actually touches me though, so I don’t say anything. I think he is going to be trouble; he has that mischievous look in his eye, like he is going to push my boundaries.
Wyatt takes up the rear of the group, I can feel his eyes burning into me, more like my ass. I turn my head and catch him in the act, but he just smirks at me catching him and drops his eyes back down my body sensually. The heat Tate started kicks up a notch, and now I’m discretely trying to squeeze my thighs together while continuing to walk normal.
It isn’t working and, of course, I trip over my own foot. I stumble forward bracing my hands for impact. Strong arms wrap around my middle and pull me into a hard chest. Expecting the electric shock to hit me as soon as Wyatt touches me, I’m confused and shocked to say the least to feel a soft tingle start at his arms and spread through my body. A moan involuntarily slips past my lips that shakes me from my stunned stupor, and I yank out of his grip and clear my throat. Looking around all three of them look amused.
“Right, I’m ok. Let’s go,” I say awkwardly and continue walking.
Chuckles sound off behind me, but I just keep moving. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of these guys more than I care to think about and I’ve only known them not even twenty-four hours! We finally make it to the enormous garage and Tate runs over and puts the code in a keypad over next to the end door.
The door starts rolling up and I immediately see the front end of a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T and my panties are soaked. Nothing can make my panties wet like some old school American muscle and I’m surrounded by it…holy shit, the garage is filled with all kinds of beauties, but this car has my attention right now. I walk up for a closer look; it’s all black except for the classic strip down the side that is white. The interior is also black.
“Does it have a four-forty big block or a four twenty-six Hemi in it?” I ask turning back to the guys, only to find them all staring at my ass.
Liam is the first to look up, blushing after realizing I’m speaking to them.
“It’s got the Hemi, how did you know that?”
I groan, thinking about driving that bad boy, but I answer, “My dad loves cars, so I know a lot about them, only the basics of fixing them, but I know engines and whatnot,” I shrug.
“Well, that’s fucking hot as shit, Babe,” Tate says with heat in his eyes.
Sometimes I really hate being albino; it’s like every emotion shows up on my pale skin like a flashing neon sign, and the looks they are all giving me sends my heart racing.
“Uh thanks.” I rock from foot to foot, unsure of the compliment. “So, umm…can I drive it?”
I didn’t even take a closer look at the rest; I’ve always wanted to drive a challenger. They all look at each other, almost like they are communicating again. I furrow my brows as I look at them closer. They really look like they are talking to each other, but not a sound is coming from them.
What the hell!
“What’s going on, why does it look like y’all are talking without talking?”
They whip their heads back to me, wide-eyed, like they forgot I was there for a second. Well, that stings.
“Never mind, I’ll look at something else while y’all do…. whatever it is you are doing over there.”
I try to keep the hurt I have no reason to feel out of my voice as I turn to take in the rest of the garage. There in the back is a 2016-17 Dodge Durango SRT. This is a good compromise if I can’t drive the challenger; because I’m assuming all the muscle cars are off limits.
“Sorry, Celia, it’s just that these are Gray’s babies. He rarely even lets us drive them,” Liam says gently, walking up next to me.
“It’s fine, can I drive the Durango?” I ask.
No wonder they acted like that, that asshole would probably be mad I’m even looking to closely at his ‘babies’.
“Sure thing, pretty girl, that one is mine and I am happy to loan it to you until yours is up and running again,” Liam beams at me. “Let me just go grab the keys and pull it out front for you.”
I tell him thanks as I head out of the garage to see where Wyatt and Tate went. When I get outside, I see them over by the office, it looks like they are arguing about something. They abruptly stop when they spot me.
“Everything ok?” I ask as I approach.
“Yeah, Tate is just being an idiot is all, nothing unusual about that,” Wyatt says casually, then laughs when Tate punches him hard in the arm.
I lift a brow skeptically, but don’t comment. If that’s all they were saying, I doubt they would’ve quit talking when they saw me, but what do I know? This whole experience since I ran has been absurd. The feelings these guys are creating in me are terrifying. Now that I’ve put a boundary on things, they seem to be unsure of what to do, like they want to get closer and talk but can’t because I’m a scaredy-cat. So, we just wait in awkward silence while Liam gets the SUV out.
zw
Nathan
I’ve got you now, my sweet Celia.
I park my rental down the street. Standing here in the shadows across from the repair shop, I’m itching to go over there and snatch her right now.
Fucking slut, look at her hanging around with a bunch of guys. I knew she left me for some other man, I wonder which of these assholes it is.
It doesn’t matter, I’m going to kill them all after I take her back.
She’s my fucking girl and no one have better put their hands on her.
I start to step out of the shadow, working myself into a rage.
Not yet, bid your time. She will give you the perfect time to grab her, you just have to be patient.
Taking a deep breath, I lean against the tree and continue to watch her being the whore I’ve always known that she is.
Chapter 7
Celia
Finally, when the awkward tension gets to be too much, Liam pulls the Durango in
to a parking spot out front. I watch him hop out and groan loudly as he bends over to adjust the seat. What a fine piece of ass that man has; I could bounce a rock off it. Heat is traveling down my body to my core as I check out him out. I hear the guys behind me take a deep breath, and a growl rumbles from one of them.
Whipping my head back to look at them, I stare, wide-eyed.
Did I just hear one of them growl?
I’ve got to get out of here, I should be terrified from hearing a person growl, but instead, my pussy just pulses in excitement at the sound. I’m going to break my own boundaries and jump someone’s bones right here. Liam walks up behind me, I can feel the heat radiating off him into my back. I want him to press up against me, to push my hair to the side, to caress my neck with his nose taking in my scent… taking in my scent?
What the hell is that?
Shaking my head, I turn around only to find he hasn’t moved an inch. The look in his eye can only be described as one thing, desire. I lean towards him without even realizing what I’m doing. I take a step away, shaking my head, trying to put some space between my heated skin and him.
I must get out of here; I can’t trust myself. I can’t get caught up in a new situation when I’m not even out of the first one.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Thanks, I really appreciate y’all lending me a vehicle. It will be nice not to be stranded while mine is being repaired.”
“Of course, you don’t need to thank us. You definitely won’t be stranded on my watch,” Wyatt growls from directly behind me, making me jump.
Spinning around, I take a step back with how close he is, right into Liam’s chest. Tingles shoot through my body again on contact, but no sharp sting of electricity, as he places his hands on my hips to steady me. Letting my eye drop closed for just a second, I bask in the amazing sensation; it’s going straight to my poor pussy. I’m going to have fucking blue clit by the time I leave here. I’m going to have to take care of that when I get to the hotel for sure.
“Listen, since you seem to have a love for cars, why don’t you come hangout with us at the shop tomorrow? I can show you how to do some stuff. You know, just to give you something to do,” Tate suggests, as he reaches out and brushes his hand down my arm.
Instantly I feel those tingles rush through my body and straight to my poor clit. My lady bits throb hopelessly, wanting to be filled. Stepping away from his touch, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end; I feel like I’m being watched. I glance around, trying to see where this feeling is coming from.
Not seeing anything, I shake my head to clear all these wild feelings from my mind. My heart is racing and my anxiety is starting to kick in again.
I’ve got to get out of here.
“What’s wrong, Celia?” Liam asks stepping closer to me, clear concern written all over his beautiful face.
My heart warms seeing these guys I’ve known for less than a day caring about me.
“It’s nothing, just felt like we were being watched.”
I try to hide the nervousness in my face, but I fail if the looks on all their faces say anything.
“Who would be watching us? You’ve been acting skittish all morning, and last night. What’s going on, Beautiful? You can tell us,” Wyatt says with a gentleness I didn’t expect from him.
Sighing, I guess they deserve to know a little bit.
“My ex, it’s why I’m traveling…well, really I’m running, he’s crazy.”
Growls sound off around me, making me jump and back away.
“Who is he?”
“What’s his name?”
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
They all talk at once, and I’m not even sure who says what.
“His name is Nathan Richardson. I met him in high school, and I was with him for six years. I finally just ran after he put me in the hospital this last time; he nearly killed me, but the cops did nothing. He probably already found a way to track me down. He won’t give up.”
I swallow thickly, trying to hold back the fear and emotions even thinking about it bring me.
“You are safe with us, babe, we promise that,” Tate says with such conviction.
“You are definitely coming to the shop everyday so we can keep an eye on you. If I could convince you, you are welcome to come stay with us, we have plenty of spare rooms,” Liam tells me.
“Thanks guys, but I’ll be ok. Once I get my truck back, I can get back on the road and disappear. I’ll be fine until then. As for learning more about cars, I’m down for that. What time should I be here tomorrow?”
“We open up at six am, so whenever you get up, you can head on over.”
“Okay guys, thanks. I’m going to run to the store and grab some stuff to stock up the mini kitchen in the hotel. So, I’ll see y’all in the morning.”
I smile at them, genuinely happy to have an excuse to be around them more. Liam walks over and opens the truck door for me and hands me the keys. Our hands brush as he does, making me take a deep inhalation of breath. Tingles rocket through my body, and for a split second everything moves into sharp focus. Just as quickly as it happens, it disappears. I’m unsure if that really even happen.
“Later guys, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say shaking off the insane feeling.
“See you tomorrow, Beautiful.”
“Later, babe,” Wyatt and Tate say at almost the same time, making me chuckle.
I get in the driver seat and just as I lean out to grab the door, Liam whispers, “See you later, pretty girl.”
Chapter 8
Grayson
Don’t fucking touch her.
Don’t.
Fucking.
Touch.
Her.
My wolf growls in outrage at her giving an order to us like that.
I crank up the ‘stang, the engine roaring to life. The sound ramps up these emotions swirling through me. Fuck, I love this beast of a car. I peel out the parking lot and gun it down the road, enjoying the feel of my car beneath me. My wolf loves it, too; the freedom that we feel behind the wheel is euphoric. As I drive to the compound, I get lost in my swirling thoughts and emotions.
What the fuck was even going on?
Liam walked in the office carrying the most strange, but beautiful woman I have ever seen. She had absolutely no color to her, except the barest of pink in her lips. Mate. My wolf growled at me instantly. Yeah bud, I got that loud and clear from the rest of them. I had taken a deep breath, scenting the air. Her scent hit me full force, and I growled with pleasure at the jasmine and roses I smelled. My dick was instantly hard.
I don’t even fucking like flowers; taking another deep breath, I realized there was another subtle scent that I could barely pick up. It faintly smelt of earth, of rich soil and of a rainy day- the scent of every werewolf. I snapped my eyes away from her and to my first beta.
“I thought that you said she smelled human,” I barked at him.
Wyatt meets my eyes for a second, then lowers them to my nose out of respect.
“It’s all she’s smelt like since I met her yesterday evening.”
He takes a deep breath and his eyes widen in surprise.
“She didn’t smell like this before she passed out, Gray! What the hell is going on?” he nearly yelled.
I glanced over at her, she didn’t even stir at his loud outburst. I could see her chest was rising and falling in slow breaths as Liam laid her one the office couch and came over to join us.
“Well, she sure as hell smells just like a wolf now. Its barely there, but I smell wolf on her,” I growled out in anger.
I’m not really mad, but this is such a strange situation and anger is easier. I didn’t know what in the world was going on, but I didn’t like it one bit. My wolf was pushing me to get up and check on her even though we could clearly see she was fine. I relented to him, as I stood from the office chair and silently walked over to her, I brushed a stray hair from out of her face and my hand was shocked hard.
/>
“What the fuck!” I roared in surprise.
She jolted a little with the contact, but didn’t stir.
“Yeah bro, that happened to all of us, just not that strong. It was super strong for her though, it’s what made her passed out- when she touched Liam. I…I think something is happening to her. Remember the prophecy? Wyatt and I were talking this morning and we think it might be real. With the way things are happening, it seems to make the most sense,” Tate explained to me as I backed off from her.
The genuine worry he was pushing through the bond was unusual for our always happy-go-lucky surfer boy. My wolf pushed to the forefront of my mind and instantly sent him comfort and calm. I may be an asshole, but I would always take care of what’s mine, and he is mine. Not in a sexual way- that’s not for me, he gets that brand of comfort from Wyatt.
Grunting in acknowledgement of what he said, I had started pacing the length of the office trying to think. What does this mean for us though? I vaguely remember there being a second prophecy, but I can’t seem to remember what is said specifically.
“Do you remember the second prophecy we were told as kids?”
I looked at each of them waiting on someone to answer me. Of course, it is our genius, Liam who answers me.
“I do remember there being a second prophecy, but I can’t remember what it was. No one talked much about that one, I think because it was a bit dark and scary for everyone. I will do some research and try to dig it up, but no one has talked about it in over one hundred years. I will ask your father’s historian.”
As I was about to respond, she began stirring awake, making us all pause and watch her. Her eyes flew open and she sat up abruptly, canting to the side in dizziness. Wyatt rushed forward to right her before she fell and she screamed bloody murder making my wolf surge forward to protect his mate, my canines dropping instantly. My eyesight sharpened and all my other senses flared to life as well. The office was drenched with the pungent smell of fear.
Shaking my head of the memory, I focus back on the road. My wolf and I were so angry that she told us not to touch her and what had her so terrified. These thoughts continue to swirl through my head as I reach the guardhouse at the entrance to the Pack’s land. The guard sees me and pushes the button right inside the guardhouse door to open the heavy silver-plated steel gate.
