by Jane Jamison
“That’s the gist of it.”
“Is she pretty? This woman Uncle Matthew says is your mate?”
Was it his imagination? Or did he detect a hint of jealousy in her voice?
“He said she was beautiful. And her name is Milly Swinson.”
“That’s a stupid name.”
Yep. There it is. She’s not happy about us finding our mate. But why?
“I’m sure she is, but I’ll bet she’s not half as pretty as you.”
Riley rolled her eyes. Still, he thought he’d caught the hint of a smile curving her lips. She was pretty, but she didn’t act like she thought she was. She was shy around boys and did her best to slough off any compliments anyone gave her. He wondered if she had a self-esteem problem, but figured she’d probably grow out of it. At least he hoped she would.
Maybe she’ll meet a nice boy who’ll bring her out of her shell.
An instant after the thought, his inner wolf growled, sending him an unmistakable warning.
Damn. What am I thinking? Riley with a boy? Oh, hell, no. At least not yet.
He already felt inadequate trying to circumnavigate things like getting her hair cut and buying a bra. Maybe having a woman around who could help her with all that girly stuff would be the best thing for his niece. He hoped so. Providing their mate didn’t mind the fact that Riley came along with them as a package deal.
As if she’d read his mind, she asked, “What if I don’t like her?”
He and his brother had discussed it often and had come to a final decision. If they found their mate before Riley was grown and out of their care, and if the mate couldn’t or wouldn’t accept her, then they’d have to give their mate up. Riley was their responsibility and not one they’d taken on lightly.
He just prayed their mate would have an open mind as well as an open heart. And that Riley would have the same. “You will.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And neither do you.”
They rode a few more minutes in silence as the land stretched out around them. Cattle and horses grazed in the pastures, giving them a picturesque view.
At last, she spoke again. “I don’t want to live in this hick town.”
“We haven’t decided anything yet. But do me a favor, okay? Give her and this place a chance.”
It didn’t take him long to find the house. Matthew had described it well, and his directions were dead-on. Dan brought the van to a stop and studied the simple ranch-style house.
“Is this it? That’s not half as big as our home.”
He frowned and checked her in the mirror. Did she sound upset? Or more worried? Then again, he couldn’t be sure.
He didn’t think he’d ever understand the mind of a teenage girl. One minute she acted like she was as happy as she could be, singing along with the songs on her iPod. Then, in the next, she acted like he’d done the worst thing possible—whatever that was to a fifteen-year-old girl—and was literally snarling at him. He didn’t think she’d gone through the transformation yet, but he knew that snarl when he heard it. Half-werewolves could shift at most any age, but tended to go through their first change during their turbulent teens. As if being part werewolf wasn’t enough trouble. Had she already done it and not told him? If she hadn’t, it was coming. And soon.
What the hell will I do then?
“Yeah. This is the place.” He reached over into the passenger seat and snagged his phone. “I need to give Matthew a call first. It’s still early so—”
He jerked his head up as he heard the van door slam shut. “Riley! Hey, hold up!”
But she was already closing in on the front door before he had his door open. He hit the ground running, but he couldn’t catch up to her in time to stop her from going straight inside the house.
“Damn it, Riley.” The door burst open as he pushed through it, determined to catch her. He saw the glimpse of her long, dark hair as she turned the corner into a hallway. “No, Riley. Stop.”
When he finally caught up with her, she was already barging into the bedroom on the right. He skidded to a stop and stared. “Oh, shit.”
Chapter Four
She’s hotter than Matthew said.
But then again, no words his brother could’ve said would have fully described the beautiful woman lying in bed next to Matthew. Dan couldn’t take his eyes off her. Unlike his brother, he’d never been attracted to blondes, preferring brunettes, but she changed his mind the instant he saw her.
Fantastic sapphire eyes stared back at him while plump, pink lips parted in an unheard “oh” of surprise. She held the sheet up to cover her naked body, but he could still see the firm, full swell of the top of her breasts. Golden hair fell in curls around her oval face, and he ached to take the strands between his fingers.
“Bro, get her out of here!”
Matthew’s voice jolted him back into awareness. He slid his gaze to Riley, who stood at the foot of the bed, glaring at the woman. Making his body move when all he wanted to do was stay and look at the woman who was their mate, he lurched over to Riley and grabbed her by the arm.
She snarled, a sound that was deeper, meaner than any he’d ever heard her make, and tried to yank her arm out of his hold. “What are you doing?”
He followed her accusatory gaze not to his brother as he would’ve imagined, but to the shocked woman. Getting behind her so that he could physically lift her by both arms, he held her against his chest and carried her out of the room.
Riley squirmed and shouted for him to turn her loose, but he held on. Once they were back outside, he plopped her down on the ground, but kept a tight hold on her.
“What the hell did you think you were doing barging into someone’s home like that? You could’ve gotten your head shot off.” He was angry at what she’d done and even angrier that she’d made such a terrible first impression on his future mate.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Watch your language, young lady.”
Her face scrunched together in the fury he could feel wafting off her body. “You cuss all the time, but that’s not the point.”
She was right about that. He planted his feet apart and got ready for more of her rage.
“Why is he in bed with…with her?” She pointed behind him, and he pivoted to find Matthew and the woman—Milly’s her name—standing next to the front door.
At least they’re dressed.
“Riley, we’ve talked about this.” But he guessed talking about it was a lot different in the mind of a teenage girl than actually seeing it. He remembered the first time he’d walked in on his parents and cringed. It couldn’t be much better just because the man was her uncle.
She crossed her arms and glared as he shifted to stand beside her. He slid his arm around her shoulders, trying to show that she was still important, but she shrugged it off.
“Hey, you guys made it.” Matthew took a step toward them then stopped at Dan’s subtle shake of his head. “I didn’t expect you so soon. A little warning would’ve been good.”
“Uncle Dan drove like hell to get here.” Riley narrowed her eyes even more. “He was dying to see her.”
If the tone of her voice could kill, Milly would be laid out flat right now. He let out a hard breath and started up the steps. Sometimes it was better to just plunge ahead whenever caught in an awkward situation.
He offered Milly his hand. “Hi. I’m Matthew’s brother, Dan Hudson, and this is our niece, Riley Carpenter.”
The instant her skin touched his he knew. She’s the one.
As often happened, Matthew chimed in. “Yeah, Milly, you remember me telling you about him. You know, my less-than-handsome, less intelligent bro-from-the-same-mo.” He leaned over and made a show of whispering in her ear, but he spoke loud enough for Dan to hear. “But don’t let him know that. It hurts his feelings.”
Dan was used to Matthew’s jokes at his expense, but couldn’t he have resisted just this once?
�
�Hi. I’m Milly Swinson. I’m guessing Matthew already told you about me.” Her smile lit up her face and put the sun to shame.
“I’m sorry about before.”
“Don’t worry about it. We should’ve been up and ready for the day by now.”
Those gorgeous ocean-blue eyes shifted off him, and she let go of his hand, tearing a hole in his gut.
She eased past him and down a couple of the steps toward his niece then stopped. “Hi. Nice to meet you, Riley.”
She put out her hand for a shake, but his niece didn’t take it. It was one of the few times Riley had ever disappointed him.
“Riley,”—Matthew’s voice held a warning she couldn’t miss—“say hello to Milly.”
Dan gritted his teeth at Matthew’s order. Forcing Riley to do anything was a bad idea. If she got her dander up, then she’d just hunker down and refuse to budge.
“Hello.”
Milly acted as though she hadn’t heard the venom in Riley’s tone. Instead, she came up the steps then turned back to his niece. He noticed that Milly didn’t touch either one of them.
So she’s smart, too. No need to make Riley even more upset.
Making a werewolf angry was one thing. Making a teen werewolf angrier than she already was? Well, that was just plain stupid.
“I hope ya’ll are hungry because I love big breakfasts. And I’m starving.” She gave Riley a big smile. “Grab your bags and come on inside. Bring your appetites, too.”
When Riley didn’t budge, he could hear the frustration in Matthew’s voice as he cursed under his breath. It wasn’t like his normally jovial brother to get upset, but he didn’t blame him, either.
“Give Riley the bedroom on the left with the full-size bed, bro.” Matthew glanced at Milly, sending her an unmistakable message. “You can bunk with me in the other one on the left. It’s the one with the twin beds.”
“Are you two serious? Uncle Matthew’s already shacking up with her. Why pretend that you don’t want to hop into bed with them?” Riley harrumphed, hitching out her hip in defiance.
The girl wasn’t a dummy, but he couldn’t play into the fact that she was right. Matthew was on the same page as him. “Never mind. I’m sleeping in the other room. Now let’s get inside. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse. You’re coming, Riley.”
Dan took a step forward and noticed that Riley hadn’t moved. “Riley? Are you going inside or not?” He didn’t want to order her as Matthew had done. While Matthew was a jokester, when he got angry, he sometimes handled Riley in a harsher manner than Dan would have.
“Once she gets a whiff of Milly’s cooking, she will.” His brother pushed the door open then called his words over his shoulder in a voice loud enough for Riley to hear, but as though she was no longer part of the conversation. “If the smell of bacon doesn’t bring her in, then haul her ass inside. I don’t know about you, but I’m chowing down.”
* * * *
Milly stirred the pancake mix in the bowl as the bacon sizzled on the stove. She thought she’d handled the awkward meeting pretty well, considering the state of undress she was in. Then, once she’d made it out to the porch, she’d recognized the anger in Riley’s face.
I’m sure it didn’t help her attitude much by seeing her uncle in bed with me.
Was Riley what Matthew had been keeping from her? It would’ve been better if he had warned her. Maybe then they wouldn’t have gotten caught without their clothes on.
But that couldn’t be helped. All they could do was move on and hope for the best. She swiveled around to smile at the threesome seated at the small rectangular dining table. They hadn’t done much talking after they’d entered the house.
She tried to compare the two men while not getting caught studying them. She couldn’t help but think how alike, yet different the two men were. Dan was as serious as Matthew had described him. He was solemn to Matthew’s usual light-heartedness. Although they both had dark hair and muscles that could make any woman’s mouth water, they held their bodies differently. Dan seemed stiffer, more formal, than Matthew and his relaxed demeanor. Still, Matthew’s change in attitude had surprised her after getting used to his jokes and playful manner. Was he the real disciplinarian and not Dan?
“I hope ya’ll are hungry because I’m making a bunch of pancakes. I have a cook at the diner by the name of Mack, but I do a little cooking, too. Cooking for a small group, however, isn’t usually how it goes.” She laughed, hoping to ease the tension. “As you can guess, I have a lot of leftovers.”
Dan’s green eyes made her forget to stir the mix for a moment. They were like moss on a rock by a stream. Deep and rich, and filled with different hues.
She let her gaze fall. Although she’d waited longer than she’d liked, she had to admit they were worth the wait. Dan was just as sexy as his brother, and she could feel the attraction dripping off him.
Shit. Can Riley sense it?
She shook her head and thought not. If that were possible, most of Forever would pick up on it, too. Talk about embarrassing for everyone!
She poured the first ladle of pancakes onto the griddle and tried to concentrate on her cooking. Maybe once she got Riley’s belly full, she’d loosen up and give her a chance.
But what if she didn’t? What would she do then? And more to the point, what would the Hudson men do?
She shifted from one foot to the other. Once a werewolf made a commitment, he’d keep it. And taking an orphaned niece into their home was a commitment of a major kind. If Riley ever made them choose, would they choose her? Worse yet, if they chose her against Riley’s wishes, could she live with herself?
She pushed the questions aside. She’d just have to make Riley like her, one way or another.
“Breakfast smells really good, Milly. Are you sure I can’t help?”
Matthew, returning to his usual easy-going self, laughed at his brother. “Beware of letting him help. He can’t boil water without burning it.”
She liked the way the brothers interacted. They showed respect yet playfulness with each other. She dished out a plentiful portion of pancakes as well as bacon onto each plate. “No, thanks. Besides, I’m finished. But I’ll let you do the dishes.”
Riley’s head shot up. “Are you kidding me? You don’t even have a dishwasher? What kind of a shack is this?”
“Riley, that’s enough.” Matthew placed his hand over the young girl’s in a firm way. “Apologize to Milly.”
“No.”
Milly let out a breath and exchanged a pointed look with Dan. He shook his head then turned his attention to Riley. “Look, kiddo, I know you’re upset about moving, but we talked about this. Milly and your Uncle Matthew and I have the connection. It’s our destiny to be together. You don’t want us to ignore that, do you?”
Oh, I get it now. Dan’s the father figure who tries to reason with her while Matthew’s the fun-loving one who can get harsh with her when he needs to.
Riley pushed her plate of uneaten food away. “Yes. I do. First I lose my parents and now I’m losing you.”
“That’s not the way it is, honey.” Even Milly knew that wasn’t the case. The love the men had for their niece was evident in the way they looked at her.
Riley jumped to her feet, making Milly step back in surprise. “Don’t tell me how it is! You don’t even know me!”
Grabbing her plate, Riley hurled it across the room where it hit the wall and shattered. Pancakes scattered over the floor. The girl spun on her heel and bolted through the back door. Dan and Matthew were on their feet, their eyes blazing with bits of amber and fangs replacing teeth. Milly sensed their inner wolves rising to the surface and jumped in front of them to block them as they started after their niece.
A growl escaped Dan as he started to shove her hand off him. But she held fast, shifting only enough to match his wolf’s strength with her own. “No, don’t go after her. Especially when you’re angry.”
“I can’t believe she talked to you like that.”
Matthew snarled, but retracted his fangs.
“Let it go. From what you’ve told me, she’s gone through a lot. Give her some time to adjust.” She batted her eyes. “Besides, who can resist me once they get to know me?”
Dan’s eyes stayed the same, but she guessed it was for a different reason now. He pulled her close and inhaled, drawing her scent in. “Okay. We’ll do it your way. I’ll try and talk sense into her later.”
Matthew growled. “You do that, bro. But if she mouths off to Milly like that again, she’s going to get a tanning she’ll never forget.”
She slid her hands along Dan’s shoulders, loving the tingle their connection gave her. “Don’t you dare do that. If either or you are going to spank anyone, it had better be me.”
She hadn’t meant to flirt, but the words were out before she gave it any thought. Dan’s lust hit her like a physical force. She gripped him harder, her mind shutting down to everything around them as desire took over. She licked her lips and pushed against him, her breasts flattening against his hard chest.
“Not now, you two. We’ve got an angry teen to take care of.”
She heard Matthew, but it wasn’t until Dan groaned and pushed her away that she snapped back to her senses. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Bullshit. I know exactly what I was thinking. And you were thinking the same thing.
Matthew moved toward the door again. But when Dan started to follow, he shook his head. “No. You stay here and get to know each other. Eat your breakfast. And stay out of the bed. I hate like hell to say it, but we’re all going to have to cool it until Riley calms down. Let me talk to her.”
“Just take it easy on her, bro.”
“What else would I do?” Matthew gave him a crooked smile. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. I’m back to my usual lovable self.” He was gone in the next moment.
As though fighting against a rope that held her to Dan, Milly jerked back from him and went to the sink. If she could preoccupy herself with cleaning the dishes, then maybe she’d keep her hands off him. The scrape of the chair across the floor told her that he’d taken his seat again.
