Caught in the Middle

by Desiree Holt

  His brows lifted. He was sure it was all good. “And how did you keep her from getting pregnant then?” He wasn’t even sure he wanted to know, because then he’d have no excuse to turn down Collette. He was counting on her not being able to come up with a spell, because if she did, they were both going to be in some deep trouble.

  “I don’t know.” Roarke shrugged. “I think she used some kind of temporary infertility spell on both of us. Whatever it was, it obviously worked. But it really doesn’t matter because Collette’s right. As long as we’re not heart mates then there’s no real chance of us getting her knocked up. Still, if it bothers you, I can ask my friend. It’s been a few decades, but I’m sure, if I call her up, she could remember.”

  He frowned. “I’m sure Collette will figure it out if this spell is so common.” “Which is lucky for you, eh?”

  Gabe narrowed his blue gaze at his friend, who didn’t seem the least bit troubled by his icy stare. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You forget how well I know you.”

  Gabe shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not really sure if he wanted to hear where this was headed.

  “But one doesn’t have to know you well to know that you’re interested in Collette. Actually, I’d say you’re attracted to your partner, very attracted.”

  Gabe shifted again, suddenly feeling uneasy. Roarke was his best friend, and he could share almost anything with him, but he wasn’t ready to share his feelings for Collette. Mainly, because he hadn’t figured them all out himself. But also because, while it may be obvious that he was attracted to Collette, it was just as obvious that Collette was attracted to Roarke. That thought made the knot in his gut clench tight, but he did his best to ignore it. If Collette wanted Roarke, then he would just have to accept it and move on. It was just that he couldn’t completely understand what a woman such as Collette saw in Roarke. It wasn’t just because he was jealous, although he would be lying if he didn’t admit that he wasn’t immune to the pangs of the ugly green monster. But it was more than that. Considering how well he knew them both, he would have never thought Collette and Roarke well-suited. But maybe Collette wasn’t interested in anything of substance and depth. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

  Roarke was a handsome man, who loved to play the field, but maybe that’s exactly what she wanted. He’d just been so sure, deep down, Collette wanted something more meaningful, but apparently he’d misjudged her.

  Even if he hadn’t read her wrong, it was still awfully hard not to miss the easy camaraderie that flowed between the two of them, and how comfortable they were around each other. Just moments ago, he’d been a witness to the intimate exchange that passed between them when Roarke winked at her, and she smiled back. They thought no one noticed, but it was impossible not to.

  As wizened and mature he thought himself to be, he was finding it pretty damned difficult to accept that he was attracted to a woman, who obviously wanted his best friend. Yet, no matter how hard a pill it was to swallow, he was determined not to let it interfere with his relationship with either of them—especially Roarke.

  Nothing had ever come between him and Roarke, certainly not a woman, and he didn’t want Collette to be the first. If he could just manage to keep his feelings to himself, then they wouldn’t become an issue.

  Collette and Roarke could do what they so obviously wanted to do, without worrying about hurting his feelings. He would go on doing what he’d always done—return home to an empty bed that was always cold and run his city with a steady hand, no matter how lonely a life it was, and in spite of how futile his efforts seemed.

  Roarke cleared his throat loudly, in a blatant gesture to force Gabe to address his loaded comment. But he wasn’t sure if he could. How did he deny Roarke’s words without outright lying?

  “Collette is clearly an attractive woman, but she’s my partner, which means our relationship must always remain strictly professional.”

  “Bullshit.”

  He was so stunned by that simple statement that it took him a second to collect his thoughts. “Why is that bullshit? It’s the truth.”

  He didn’t flinch under the weight of Roarke’s stare. He couldn’t. As the master of the city, he’d been conditioned to hold his ground, but it was damn near impossible when confronting a man who was as close to him as Roarke was, and who knew him as well as any of his brothers did.

  “You only put your shields up with me when you’re lying or when you don’t want me to discover the truth. And they’re always up every time I bring up Collette.” He stood as he spoke. “You’re attracted to her, I know it. If it makes you feel better, she’s attracted to you, too.”

  “Have you been tapping into her thoughts? You know that’s rude.”

  Roarke grinned as he lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “Maybe once or twice, but relax. I didn’t get much more than she thinks you’re sexy.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, and I’m sure your name followed soon after.”

  “Actually, no, it didn’t.”

  “How is your ego dealing with that?” he joked, in an effort to break some of the tension that had suddenly descended upon the room. For months, he’d tried to avoid this conversation with Roarke, and he was determined not to have it now either.

  “Make light of this all you want, but the only man who seems to enter Collette’s thoughts is you.”

  Gabe opened his mouth to object, but never got the chance.

  “Collette’s a beautiful woman, and like you said, it’s quite natural to find her attractive, but Collette and I aren’t attracted to one another.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” His eyes narrowed to slits. He searched Roarke’s normally open face that was now as blank as an empty canvas, which made him uneasy with suspicion. He’d been so careful about hiding his feelings for Collette. Was it possible that Roarke had discovered the truth?

  “No reason,” he said with a casual shrug. “I guess I just wanted to let you know that if we end up helping Collette through her mating season, when it’s over, Collette and I will return to normal, and we will continue to be good friends, but still, just friends.”

  “And you think things will somehow be different between the two of us instead?” He didn’t wait for him to answer, because truthfully he wasn’t prepared to hear what Roarke had to say. “We’ve shared women before, and neither one of us has had any problem. I don’t expect this to be any different.”

  “Yes, well, I just wanted you to know where I stood on this. Just so there isn’t any confusion,” he said. Before Gabe could probe him for the deeper meaning of his words, Roarke slipped out of his office, leaving him to wonder exactly what his friend had really been trying to say.

  “Damn it, Victoria. What the hell do you mean the spell isn’t fool proof?” she hissed into her cell as she huddled outside, pressed against the side wall of the building that housed her unit. The walls served as a telepathic barrier, protecting all confidential and sensitive information inside her unit. As long as she was outside, no one could listen in on her thoughts or her conversation, which was why she’d ventured outdoors to call her older sister, because one could never be too careful with the place crawling with telepathic supra.

  “Well, the infertility spell is foolproof. I can’t believe you’ve never had to use it before. I don’t know how human men could even compare—”

  “Tory!” She snapped impatiently. Like many supras, her sister held a slight disdain for humans, the weaker species. So Tory had been shocked to learn that she’d never spent her mating season with another supra, which meant she’d never had to use it. For some reason human males were unable to impregnate lycan women, although the reverse wasn’t the case. Still, it was impossible for a lycan female to get pregnant outside of her mating season, and with her affinity for human men, she’d never had to think of such things. That’s why she preferred human lovers in the first place. No birth control hassles—like now.

&nbs
p; “Oh yes, like I was saying. The infertility spell only works on vampires and as long as the vamp isn’t your heart mate, otherwise it’s useless. But as far as your bonding urges— well there’s really nothing you can do about that.”

  “What bonding urges? I thought if I mated with two vamps, or any other supra, that I wouldn’t have these stupid urges since they’re not lycan.”

  “And normally you would be right…..”

  “Okay, so what’s the problem this time,” she asked when her sister’s voice trailed off. Uh oh. She didn’t like this at all. She could feel her sister’s troubled energy even through the phone, and it was times like these when her sister’s talent as a seer really scared her, because she knew before Victoria even opened her mouth that she was going to hate what she had to say.

  “Well, Collette. I don’t know how to say this—”

  She clenched her eyes shut as she sighed. Tory always had a flare for the dramatic and Collette knew she derived a perverse pleasure from leaving her in suspense. “Oh, Victoria, just spit it out.”

  “Well, I’ve been having these visions of you for several months now. It’s nothing substantive, or anything that I can pinpoint, but I just keep getting the feeling that this mating season you will finally find your heart mate.”

  She groaned aloud. Not this again. “That’s ridiculous, Tory. I’m too old.”

  “Now that’s ridiculous. You’re immortal. There’s no such thing as too old.”

  Collette closed her eyes again, this time touching her fingers to her temples as she worked to keep the migraine she felt coming on at bay.

  Tory was such a hopeless romantic. She’d found her heart mate when she was just thirty, and could not imagine her life without Lucien or her two pups. Collette loved her sister and knew she was well intentioned, but Tory just didn’t seem to understand that a heart mate really wasn’t in her future.

  “You’re a cynic, do you know that—”

  “Tory—”

  “But, I don’t have time to reprimand you about that right now, because I really need to get back to the pups. Before I go though, I just want to ask you something. These vamps that are going to help you through your tenth cycle—are you attracted to one of them?”

  Tory’s question was innocent enough, but not the image that came to mind as soon as she said it. The vision of a sinfully handsome vamp with eyes as blue as the sea, and hair as dark as night instantly flashed through her head. She stifled a groan as tiny butterflies fluttered in her belly and her nipples tightened. She quickly put up her mental shield to keep her sister from reading her thoughts. Tory would never let this go if she discovered Collette had a slight crush on her partner.

  She laughed nervously, trying to dispel the vivid image of Gabriel in her head. “Attracted to one of them? Tory if you could see these guys, they are hot! One is—”

  “Oh, you don’t fool me. Your shields are up, and you’re babbling. Besides, you know what I meant. I didn’t ask you if you found them attractive. I asked if you were attracted to one of them, and I know you know the difference.”

  Damn. How was she going to get herself out of this one? Tory was relentless when she sensed someone was hiding the truth. She would dig and dig until she got what she wanted. Collette nibbled on her bottom lip, as she searched her brain for a plausible lie that would give her just enough time to get off the phone.

  Static crackled in her ear, as her sister sighed loudly into the receiver.

  “Keep your secrets all you want, Collette, but be warned. If you go into this mating cycle with a supra that you have strong feelings for, you could wind up losing your heart. So just be mindful, those spells won’t be worth a damn if one of those vamps is your heart mate.”

  Collette stifled a long groan, as she fought to keep her eyes from rolling in the back of her head. When would Tory give up this crusade of hers? She wasn’t cut out for a heart mate and it was as simple as that.

  “I would think I’d know my heart mate when I met him,” Collette said, the sarcasm heavy in her voice.

  The line was silent for several moments, and she almost thought her sister’s phone had dropped the call, when Tory’s voice came across the line, as little more than a hushed whisper, sending eerie shills racing down her spine.

  “Not if he isn’t lycan,” she said slowly.

  Every muscle inside Collette’s body tensed, forcing her to acknowledge that it was especially difficult for female lycans to recognize their heart mates if they weren’t lycans themselves. But then that was just so rare.

  “Just remember, Collette, some heart mates are harder to spot, especially when you’re doing your best not to see.”

  Chapter Two

  “Did Roarke tell you I found a spell,” Collette whispered teasingly, her lips nearly brushing against Gabriel’s ear.

  The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention as Collette’s warm breath fanned out across his skin. Before she whispered in his ear, he’d known the exact moment she’d entered the break room, because he’d picked up the subtle scent of her perfume that smelled of honey and wildflowers. Despite his best effort not to physically react to her throaty purr and the heat of her body that was just inches from his, warmth still pooled in his loins as his body hardened.

  He spun around to face her, his hands clamping around her upper arms. A tiny gasp fell from her lips, and her light brown eyes widened, telling him he’d surprised her with his abrupt movements.

  “I do not want to play these games with you, Collette. You are my partner, and to be honest, I really wished you wouldn’t have put me in this position.”

  She stared up at him, her lids fluttering over her eyes, and she appeared even more shocked, if that was possible.

  “What does being partners have to do with this? I need you to help me. I came to you because you’re my friend, and I trust you. But if you would rather not—”

  His hands tightened around her arms. “It’s not that I won’t do it,” he said softly, trying his best to ignore the wounded look in her eyes as the invisible knot in his gut tightened. Damn, why did she have to affect him so powerfully?

  “Then what is it? It’s obvious you’re uncomfortable with all of this, but I don’t understand why.”

  He released her arms to tunnel a single hand through his hair. He heard the question in her voice and knew exactly why she was so puzzled. His reaction was like that of a human. To humans, sex was a taboo arena with rules and boundaries, but not to supranaturals. Supras viewed it as a natural interaction between one another, just as natural as having a conversation.

  As her closest male friends, it was considered normal for Collette to turn to Roarke and him for something like this. She’d assumed they would help her then, when all was said and done, they would all go back to being friends, as if nothing had happened. Ordinarily, he would have felt the same way. But this time was different.

  He let out a long, uneven breath as he stared down into her expectant face. He knew she wanted an answer, but he didn’t have one to give. Well, at least not one she wanted to hear.

  He reached out his hand, and with the lightest of touches, he skimmed his callused fingers across the smooth surface of her full mouth.

  “Are you sure this spell will work?” He couldn’t believe he was actually going along with her reckless plan, but since he apparently was, there was no point in denying he was attracted to her. He knew nothing good would come of this in the end, so why not at least have a bit of fun before it all went to hell.

  “Yes.” She said with a small nod as her lips parted slightly, and he knew from the widening of her eyes, she instantly felt the change in him.

  Blood pumped furiously through his veins, as his body grew harder. The scent of her arousal wrapped around him, and if he hadn’t known already that she was nearly in heat, the essence of her unique scent, which was heavy in the air, would have instantly revealed the truth.

  “You’re trying to distract me.” Her voice shook s
lightly, and he knew with the approaching full moon, her growing desires made it difficult for her to focus on anything besides her primal needs. “You’re trying to keep me from asking why this makes you so uncomfortable.”

  “I never said I was uncomfortable with any of this.” He hadn’t been expecting her to realise what he was doing, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. Besides his mother, she knew him better than any other woman.

  “You’re uncomfortable. I can feel it.”

  He closed the small distance between them, his other hand settling on her hip to drag her flush against his body. She gasped softly when his rigid length dug into the soft flesh of her belly. If there was any evidence that he wasn’t uncomfortable, well then she now had it.

  Everything inside him roared to life at the feel of her soft curves moulding to the hard planes of his body. His incisors lengthened as the steady throb of her pulse beat wildly in his ears. Lowering his head, he swiped his tongue against the base of her neck that peeked out above the collar of her blouse. He growled against her throat when she shuddered against him, her stiffened nipples stabbing into his chest.

  “I’m not uncomfortable, my sweet Collette, but I think you might be. Or maybe uncomfortable is not the word. No, I think you’re worried.”

  He vaguely felt her hands sliding up his back to tangle in his hair, so lost was he in his desire for her that beat so strongly within him, demanding that it be satisfied. He ached to settle her lush body against the floor, spread her thighs and sink his hardened length inside her warm, tight sheath. He knew instinctively that her body would eagerly welcome the invasion of his cock, and he nearly spurted right there in his pants as he imagined their bodies glistening with sweat as they both strained towards climax.