by Lauren Dane
“Everything okay between you and Gabe?”
“Yes. But don’t worry about that. How are you? I’m so sorry you had to go through that tonight.” She stood behind him, putting her arms around his shoulders to hug him.
“Never in a million years did I ever imagine having to shun my brother and Sarah from the Pack.” His voice was thick with emotion.
“You did the right thing. And you know Ben is going to help, which makes a huge difference. He obviously can’t stay, the Pack won’t trust him. But he can start over somewhere else, either in another Pack or on his own without the shame. He can raise his children with pride. Everyone makes mistakes, Nick. And where character lies is how we deal with them. We can run like Sarah, or face it head-on like Ben. You faced it, Nick. You did the hard thing. It’s what Alphas do.”
He turned, standing and pulling her to him. “You understand me. I’ve never thought it was important, really, to be understood. But always in the back of my mind it hurt that no one did.”
“I love you, Nick. I know you and I love you.” She went up on her toes and kissed his chin. “I believe in you.” A kiss to the hollow of his throat as her hands pulled his shirt from his pants. Leaning back, she yanked it over his head and tossed it behind her.
The warmth of his skin nearly burned her palms as she slid them up the wall of his chest. His scent hit her in the face and wrapped itself around her, pulling her to him physically and emotionally.
She laid a series of openmouthed kisses over his collarbone, tongue flicking out to taste the salt of his skin. His breathing sped, pulse hammering under her lips.
Moving back to the bed, he spun to push her onto the mattress and loomed above her. She shook her head and rolled, coming to straddle his waist. Putting a finger over his lips, she said, “Shhh. Let me love you, Nick.”
His eyes lit with emotion then and he kissed the finger that had quieted him. And she went back to work. Back to the slow, sensual exploration of every inch of his face and neck with her lips. She poured every bit of her love for him into those kisses.
Scooting down his body, she looked up into his eyes as she kissed a path over to each nipple, grazing her teeth over each one and delighting in his shiver of pleasure and low gasp. Down she went, her hands working to undo his jeans, and once her mouth reached the sensitive spot just below his belly button she sat up long enough to pull the rest of his clothes off.
Kneeling between his thighs, she gazed up his body. “You’re so beautiful. God, no wonder every woman in Pacific hated me on sight. This is mine, all mine and I’m so not going to share.” She chuckled and he smiled up at her with cocky arrogance and assuredness of his own allure.
She slid her hands up his thighs, over those tight muscles, and felt them loosen under her touch. Each moment she loved him with her hands and mouth, she felt the tension and the hurt fall away a bit more.
Finally, she leaned down and grazed his cock with her cheek, stopping for a moment to breathe him in. The scent of fully aroused werewolf male rode her, tightened her gut and made her pussy slick. Her clit throbbed and her nipples hardened to the point of near pain. Mate called to mate then and each gave a small sigh of desire and satisfaction.
Her ass swaying, she bent down and took him into her mouth, slowly drawing her tongue ’round and ’round the head of his cock as she did. In slow but sure rhythm, she went down on him, drawing his cock into her mouth as far as she could and then pulling back up, making sure to flick her tongue over him as she pulled all the way off. She knew he was watching and gave him a show.
His balls were in her palms and she felt them pull up toward his body as he neared climax. Her entire focus was on bringing him pleasure and she drowned in his response. All she could feel, see, hear and taste was Nick.
Her skull was cradled between his hands, his grip guiding her movements as his hips began to roll to meet her mouth.
When he came, her name was a benediction from his lips. He poured his love for her into that sound as she took his pleasure into her body.
She found herself being picked up and pulled against Gabe, her back to Gabe’s front, her head turned to receive his kiss while Nick practically ripped her shirt off.
Big hands pulled her pants and panties off and Gabe still held her, her head tipped back on his shoulder as Nick pressed his face into her pussy.
“You have no idea how sexy you looked from my vantage point,” Gabe murmured in her ear. She gasped as Nick’s tongue flicked over her clit. “You have the loveliest ass, babe. I watched you there, swaying as you took Nick into your mouth over and over. My cock is so hard I could drive spikes with it. But you know what I’d rather do?”
There were no words, just a whimper.
Both men chuckled and Nick pulled away and lay back on the bed. She cried out at the loss of his mouth.
“All in due time, honey. Tonight is the night. Nick and I both. Get started while I get out of my clothes.” Gently, he put her on Nick, who brought her face to his.
Sensing her apprehension, Nick kissed over her eyelids, his hands slowly caressing her back. “There aren’t words to tell you how much you mean to me,” he said, lips just barely touching hers. “I believe in you too. This is going to be good, baby. Trust me. Trust Gabe.”
“Ride him, honey.” Gabe got on the bed and crawled to them.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she looked down. Seeing the light in Nick’s eyes brought a smile to her lips. Following the line of his body, her smile widened further. No recovery time. Nick was hard and ready to go again. “Such a stud,” she said with a laugh.
“For you.”
Raising a brow, she sat up and moved back. Reaching behind herself, she grabbed his cock, guided him to her gate and slid back, sinking slowing onto him. The force of his entry sent shocks of pleasure skittering up her spine as her pussy pulled him in deep.
Nick looked up at her and wondered at her beauty. The rawness of her sexuality was a siren song and he happily cast himself on the rocks. He wanted her, every inch of her. Forever. And in every way he could have her as many times as he could get her.
He watched her alert eyes blur a bit as he filled her. Her lips were swollen from going down on him and wet from his kisses. She was utterly gorgeous.
Gabe knelt behind her, his cock hard and scorching at her back. He kissed down her neck and his hands slid around to her breasts, fingers rolling and pinching her nipples.
Nick watched and wet his fingers, moving them to her clit. He caught sight of Gabe putting a condom on and then lube over the latex-covered head of his cock. Nick’s own jumped in response as he pumped into his fist a few times. When Gabe’s eyes moved to Nick’s an arc of electric attraction shot between them.
But Gabe’s attention went back to Tracy as he traced down her back and over the crease in her ass. She tensed and Gabe leaned in. “Shhh. Relax. You have to relax.” Slippery fingers stroked over the star of her rear passage and she knew from the bit of play they’d engaged in before that it wasn’t an altogether unpleasant experience. “That’s it, sweetness.”
His fingers slowly worked their way inside her, scissoring to stretch her. She squirmed back against him with small noises of pleasure.
Nick’s fingertips stroked over her clit just enough to keep her dancing on the edge of orgasm, and he was close himself from the way her pussy clutched him. She was so wet and hot that there were times he found himself needing to grind his teeth and recite the table of elements to keep from coming.
“Lean back against me now, honey.” Gabe moved closer and she leaned her upper body against his chest as he put the head of his cock where his fingers had been a few moments before.
A sound from deep inside her and low in her gut trickled from between her lips as he slowly pressed inside. The feeling was totally overwhelming. Full. Extraordinarily good a
nd on the verge of bad too. Impaled, yeah, that was the word.
“Oh fuck,” Gabe mumbled as he finally seated himself fully.
“Yeah. Move it along, Gabe, because I’m half a second from blowing here.”
Tracy laughed into a gasp as Gabe pulled out slowly and pressed in again. On his next stroke into her, Nick lifted her and rolled his hips away, pulling out.
The only thing holding her back from screaming at the intensity of feeling were her fingernails digging into her thighs. The way their cocks bumped each other as one pushed in and the other pulled out was maddeningly good. So good it made her delirious.
“Oh yeah, that’s it. You’re so damned tight.” Gabe’s words were little more than a grunt.
A mewl broke from her lips as Nick’s fingertips intensified their pressure on her clit. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she gasped. The feelings were so deep, so intense and compelling that they frightened her. Self-control slipped through her fingers as she went spinning into a rush of pleasure greater than she’d ever experienced before.
“Baby, let go. We’re here to catch you,” Nick said softly.
And she did. And climax broke over her almost violently as her entire body shook with the impact of the intense pleasure. Her head shot back onto Gabe’s shoulder and she made a sound close to a wail as the waves of feeling rode her, buffeted her, pulled her under and left her in a place where she could only receive.
Receive the cocks that were pressing into her. Receive the emotions both her mates were broadcasting. Receive the love in the room and the sweat and come and caresses of mouths and hands. Receive the sounds of Nick’s and Gabe’s climaxes coming, the spasms of cocks and thrusting of muscles until there was nothing left to do but fall in a tangle of arms and legs onto the bed, utterly boneless.
She mumbled something into the pillow and Milton barked and jumped on the bed when Gabe got up.
A sloppy, wet kiss from Milton revived her into a laugh. Rolling a bit back into Nick’s body, she scratched right under Milton’s chin in the way he liked best. “Well, wow,” she said to no one in particular.
Nick laughed behind her and reached around to pet the top of Milton’s head. “Yeah, that’ll do.”
“You like Milty! I knew it.” Craning her neck, she looked back at him and he gave her a rueful smile.
“For a three-legged dog, he’s not half bad. But he can’t sleep in our bed. I draw the line there.”
Gabe snorted as he came into the room. “The dog has a bed nearly as nice as ours and a doggie door just his size leading into the backyard. He doesn’t need our bed.”
“He needs a good foundation to sleep on!” Tracy said, sitting up to kiss Milton’s head. He gave a doggie groan of happiness and then, knowing the direction of the conversation, hopped down and went over to his bed and got in it, grinning up at the three of them before closing his eyes.
“So what time do we need to get out of here tomorrow?” Tracy snuggled down between them, breathing in that intoxicating combination of sex and male and wolf.
“National is sending a plane for us at ten. And yes, I made arrangements for Milton to come along too.”
Tracy grinned at him from beneath her lashes. “I love that about you. You have this air of untouchable old school about you but beneath that, you’re a big old softie.” She smirked. “Okay, well, where I’m concerned anyway. Where others are concerned, you’re a hardass and that’s so sexy. Like I’m the only one who gets to see the sweet, furry underbelly.”
“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.”
Tracy snorted a laugh. “Of course you should. The both of you are all scary big bad wolf business, but with me you’re sweet and considerate. I like that very, very much. Makes me feel deliciously girly. But if you tell anyone that I’ll deny it.”
Nick barked out a surprised laugh and kissed the top of her head. “It’s nice to have one area of my life where I can let my guard down, you know? A soft, beautiful woman to bury my cock in, to share my troubles with, who has my back.”
“Oh yeah. Babe, that bit tonight when you took Sarah out? Wow,” Gabe growled and rolled his cock into her side.
She grinned at him. “You liked that? I wanted to rip her fucking head off her neck for talking to Nick that way. I’m sorry, sweetie, I know this has to be hard for you.” She turned to Nick.
“Oh no. Gabe’s right. I wanted to turn and rip your jeans off and fuck you right there, even in the midst of all that turmoil. When you’re all Alpha like that? Seriously sexy. And when you get jealous?” He shivered and she fluttered her lashes.
Chapter Eight
The plane ride was relatively painless. Milton got to be in the cabin with them because it was a private plane and he immediately charmed the flight attendant, who kept sneaking him treats.
A car met them at the airport and drove them to Gabe’s home in the Back Bay.
“But where do you all run? I can’t imagine you all changing and galloping through the Boston Commons under the moon.”
“Believe it or not, there’s quite a bit of wilderness within a half an hour from here. We can’t be as spontaneous as you all can back in the Northwest, but we urban wolves get by.” He winked.
Tracy took in the sights as they drove past them. She loved Boston already. It was so beautiful. So much history juxtaposed with modern glass buildings, wide-open parks and close-built neighborhoods. It was so many things at once.
Like Gabe’s home, which was actually a condo in a building overlooking the water. “Don’t worry, honey, the Pack owns the building and dogs are welcome. If we can’t walk Milton, my assistant will be happy to.”
Tracy sighed at how wonderful he was.
Yep, impressive all right. When she walked into the giant open front foyer it fairly screamed out old-world elegance. Tall vases flanked the large double doors and she tried not to stare at it all openmouthed like a bumpkin.
A tall woman glided into view and smiled at Gabe. “You’re here. Welcome home.” She approached and kissed his cheek. But before Tracy could get annoyed, the woman turned to her and grinned. “You must be Tracy. I’m so pleased to meet you! I’m Julie, Gabe’s assistant. Please come in. I’ve prepared the master suite for you.”
With that, Julie swept her into a hug filled with genuine warmth.
Milton barked and Julie looked down at him and put her hands on her hips. “And you must be Milton. I’m pleased to meet you as well. Gabe told me all about you and I can’t wait to get to know you better. I’ve even got a bed for you all made. But for now, do you want to go on a walk?”
“Oh that’s all right. I can take him. It’s not necessary for you to do that.”
“Really, it’s my pleasure. I love dogs but my mate is allergic. I know, makes me laugh too, considering. But he is. So I’d love to spoil Milton a little when I can.”
“Okay, well, thank you. I appreciate that very much,” Tracy told her.
Quickly and efficiently, Julie grabbed Milton’s leash and headed outside.
“I want one of her. She’s something else.”
“She’s a wonderful assistant. Pretty much did everything for me. I used to think she was the perfect wife. Took care of my dry cleaning, ordered in the food and no strings other than a paycheck. Now, of course, I see all the other, very fine benefits,” he added quickly.
“Let’s get settled in. We’re to meet with the Inner Circle this evening. I’m betting there’s food in the kitchen.”
Gabe led them through the large, two-story apartment, and as the tour continued, Tracy continued to be impressed. The entire place looked out over the sparkling water and across the river lay Cambridge. The place was furnished with beautiful antiques.
“Gabe, this is all really lovely. I feel sort of guilty for bringing you to Port
land now.”
He stopped and pulled her to him. “This is a nice place, yes. Beautiful view, expensive furniture. All very lovely. But what I have with you in Portland is a home. Stuff can never compare to what I feel here—” he put his hand over his heart. “What I have here is a nice place to sleep between working and traveling.”
“You travel a lot?” Nick rummaged through the giant Sub-Zero fridge and began to pull out food for a meal. He put a bottle of juice into Tracy’s hand and gave her a look that dared her to refuse to drink it. She actually considered it just to see what sort of delicious response it might garner but the discussion was still very serious.
Gabe sighed and pulled out plates. “Yes. I travel out of state at least twice a month for a few days each time.”
Tracy barely held back a gasp. The thought of only being with him a week out of the month actually caused her physical pain. In between his travel and his responsibilities to the National Pack, realistically, he’d only be in Portland a week or so at a time, maybe once a month or six weeks with that schedule. The reality of his dual roles hit her hard. It sucked.
Gabe looked at her with narrowed eyes.
Nick turned to her, put a slice of lasagna on her plate and popped it into the microwave. “You’re going to eat. You didn’t eat any breakfast and you haven’t been eating right the last week. When I was checking out your ass this morning I noticed your pants were really loose.”
“I’m fine. I just lose my appetite when I’m stressed.”
Gabe scowled at her and slathered a huge amount of butter on the bread in his hand. “Eat this.”
She took it from him, ate it and tried not to moan at the taste. “Ohmigod! What is this?”
“Julie and her husband live in Little Italy. She brings fresh bread three days a week.” The microwave dinged, he turned to pull out her plate, piled salad on it and shoved it in front of her with a look that dared her to argue.
Shrugging, she poured the dressing on and dug in.
“How do you feel about Gabe being gone so much, baby?” Nick asked as he got his own plate and sat beside her. He knew the answer of course, he could feel it through their bond.
