by Becca Van
Jonah leaned back in his chair as he studied his brothers’ excited expressions. He was feeling as excited and horny at just having met their mate, but he also knew they had a lot of work and planning to do. Their little mate seemed to be very shy and innocent, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her away.
“What does she look like?” Brock asked as he shifted in his seat.
“Like an uptight schoolmarm,” Mikhail replied with a grin. “She’s small and had her brown hair up in a tight bun, and her clothes were so long and shapeless I couldn’t see her figure very well. She had her shirt buttoned up to the collar and her skirt was so long I couldn’t even see her ankles. But her eyes, man, her eyes were such a light green they seemed to see into your soul. Boy, did she smell good. I got in a good whiff and could smell her creaming as she stood there staring at me and Jonah. Her heartbeat elevated and so did her breathing. She’s just a little bit of a thing, my head came up to her chest when standing on all fours.”
“If she’s so shy and timid, how are we going to seduce her into our bed?” Brock asked.
“That’s what we need to work out,” Jonah replied. “How we are going to woo our mate?”
“I vote we just take her,” Brock said with a lascivious waggle of his brows.
“Don’t be stupid, Brock. You know that would never work. She’d run so far, so fast, you wouldn’t see her backside disappear,” Mikhail said with an impatient growl. “I think we should leave it up to Jonah to get her out to our place. She was panting so hard around him I thought she was gonna climax where she stood.”
“Okay, I’ll concede to that, but how are we going to get her into bed with all of us? Do you think she’ll accept a ménage relationship?” Brock asked uncertainly.
“How the hell should we know?” Mikhail growled. “We should start off by inviting her for dinner.”
“Yes, I think that could work. I know our mate is working tomorrow morning. I’ll meet her when she gets off work at noon and invite her out to the den. You two are to be on your best behavior. I don’t want you scaring her away by crowding her too much. She doesn’t like to be hemmed in,” Jonah stated.
“Fuck it, Jonah. How the hell are we going to get her to accept all three of us as her mates if she doesn’t like being crowded?” Brock asked.
“One step at a time, brother, one step at a time,” Jonah replied.
Jonah and his brothers spent the next few hours going over scenarios of how to woo their mate. They were interrupted frequently as pack members greeted and congratulated their Alphas at finally finding their mate. Mikhail had sent out a telepathic statement to the male pack members, informing them when he had gone home to change clothes. The solicitations had been coming thick and fast ever since.
Jonah scented Kirsten as soon as she walked in the door to the club. He groaned with resignation because he knew she was going to be trouble. She was an Omega, low down in the pack, and he and his brothers had been sharing her for sexual relief. He had made sure she knew the score, that he and his brothers were only using her for sex and as recently as last night. He was not looking forward to the coming confrontation. The din of chatter ceased as Kirsten moved through the tables and stopped when she arrived where they were sitting.
Jonah could tell she knew something was going on because all was quiet and she was looking around her curiously. She turned back to Jonah and his brothers, asking her question with the rise of an eyebrow.
“Alphas,” Kirsten greeted. “What’s going on?”
“Kirsten, take a seat,” Jonah commanded and waited until she’d obeyed his order.
Jonah swept the crowd with a hard stare and was relieved when everyone began to talk amongst themselves once more. He waited until Kirsten had taken a sip of her chardonnay before he began to let her down easy.
“Kirsten, we have enjoyed you sharing your body with us, but I’m afraid we won’t be having sex with you anymore,” Jonah said quietly.
Jonah watched as the glass in Kirsten’s hand wobbled and went the rest of the way to her lips as she took a sip.
“Why not? I thought you liked having sex with me?” Kirsten asked, no inflection in her voice.
“We do…did,” Jonah corrected and sighed. He was going to have to be honest with her so he wouldn’t hurt her feelings. Even though she sounded calm, he could see the hurt and turmoil in her eyes. “We’ve met our mate.”
Jonah knew he’d hurt her with his words, and as much as that knowledge pained him, he and his brothers had been up-front with her from the start. There was nothing he could do about the way she felt. He watched as Kirsten placed her glass back on the table and rose to her feet. She bowed to him, not looking him in the eye, and spoke.
“Congratulations, Alphas. I think I’ll have an early night.”
Jonah and his brothers watched until she exited the club’s door. Brock turned to Jonah, a scowl on his face.
“That went well,” he said facetiously. “She’s heartbroken, Jonah. Couldn’t you have been easier on her?”
“What would you have me tell her, Brock? ‘Thanks for the sex but we don’t want you anymore?’ She knew from the start it was only about the sex. I couldn’t lie to her. Everyone already knows we’ve found our mate. She would have heard about it eventually and even though she may have feelings for us, she is not in love with us. Only a true mate can ever capture a were’s heart. We all knew, including Kirsten, there was a possibility of us meeting our mate. We can’t ignore the call to our hearts and bodies just to keep Kirsten happy for the short term,” Jonah bit out.
“You couldn’t have done anything different, Jonah,” Mikhail advised. “She was going to get hurt no matter what you said. Let’s get out of here. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner our mate will be in our home.”
“Good idea, brother, let’s go,” Jonah reiterated as he rose to his feet. He led the way out of the club, his brothers following close behind.
Chapter Three
Michelle had been at the library for an hour, steadily working through the stack of books needing to be put back on shelves. She was in the mythology section when she heard the bell over the door tinkle, notifying her of a library patron.
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Michelle called as she placed the last two books in their proper alphabetical order. Once done, she made her way back to the counter, placing a welcoming smile on her face as she saw the blonde woman standing waiting for her. She walked around the end of the counter, feeling like a complete dowd as she eyed the sophisticated woman glaring at her.
“Can I help you?” Michelle asked politely as she took in the defensive stance of the tall blonde woman.
“Not really, I just had to come see the competition for myself,” the woman spat. “I have no idea what they see in you. You’re nothing but a mouse.”
“Um, okay, I’m sorry but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michelle replied, turning the smile on her face to a frown.
“Just remember, they were mine until last night. You don’t have what it takes to keep them. I’ll be waiting in the wings, because they will come back to me, eventually. You’re new, so you’re a novelty for them. You don’t have what it takes to keep them,” the woman said, giving Michelle a disparaging look as her eyes slid from the top of her head down to her waist and back up again.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, miss… Who are they?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough,” the woman said then leaned in closer. “They are mine and will be again. Don’t forget, bye.”
Michelle watched as the woman stormed out of the library. She wondered if she was a fruit loop, a sandwich short of a picnic. She was certainly out of her mind. She wasn’t seeing one male, let alone “them,” more than one man, whoever “them” was. She shook her head, sighed, and got back to work. She still had a lot of books to put away as well as paperwork to get through, and she was only working a half day since it was Saturday. There were n
Michelle had worked the morning away. She glanced up at the clock. She was getting hungry, and she still had half an hour before closing. Her head was beginning to ache, and her muscles were taut with tension and had been since her visitor this morning. She wanted nothing more than to pull her hair out from the tight bun she had it in, pull on her favorite jeans, grab a glass of wine, and curl up with one of her secret pleasures and while the afternoon away. Michelle always felt a little guilty whenever she pulled one of her erotic novels out and read it. She kept them hidden in the bottom of her closet away from prying eyes, not that she had any visitors, but she would be mortified if anyone ever discovered her wicked secret. She lowered her head and began to concentrate on her work once more.
Michelle had been so engrossed in what she was doing she didn’t hear the bell on the door tinkle. She only became aware someone was standing before her as they cleared their throat to get her attention. She was so startled she jumped and nearly fell off her seat. She gripped the edge of the counter with her fingers, her head snapping up, and drowned. The sight of those familiar glowing blue eyes had her shifting on her stool as he stood leaning against the counter staring at her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you’d heard me come in.”
“No. I was so engrossed in my work I didn’t hear the bell. How are you, Jonah?”
“I’m fine. And you?”
“Very well, thank you. Can I help you with anything?”
“As a matter of fact, you can. You can do me the honor of having lunch with me today,” Jonah stated.
“Um, I don’t think…” Michelle began only to be interrupted.
“Good, don’t think. I’ll wait for you to lock up,” Jonah said as he looked around the room. “Since there is no one here and you only have fifteen minutes till the end of your shift, why don’t you finish up now?”
“Oh, but that wouldn’t be fair to whoever pays my wages. It would feel like I was stealing,” Michelle said and didn’t realize she’d lowered her voice to a whisper.
“No, it wouldn’t. Since I’m the one who pays your wage and I’m here telling you to leave, you’re not doing anything wrong. Come on, Michelle. Surely you’re hungry?” Jonah asked persuasively.
“Um, well, yes, but I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“I thought I told you not to think. What harm can it do to have a meal with your boss?” Jonah persuaded.
“Well, I suppose…” Michelle began, but the arrogant bastard cut her off again.
“Good. Why don’t you shut down the computer and grab your things. I’ll make sure everything else is turned off and locked up,” Jonah commanded as he straightened, walked over to the light switches, and shut them off.
By the time Michelle was ready, Jonah was waiting for her at the door. He held the door open for her, set the alarm, and followed her out. Michelle let go of the library-door keys as if they burned her hand when Jonah reached to take them from her. The tingles erupting up and down the length of her spine gathered in her crotch, making her clit ache and pussy clench. She felt cream seep onto her panties, making them damp. What is it about this man that has me so hot so fast?
When Jonah handed her the keys back, she clutched them tightly in her hand, turned toward her car, and began to walk, and Jonah fell into step at her side. She had her car keys at the ready and slid the key into the lock only to hesitate when Jonah walked up close behind her. She could feel the body heat emanating from him but didn’t turn around.
“Why don’t we go in my car? I’ll drive you back to yours later.”
Michelle turned her head just in time to see Jonah lean down and inhale. She held very still and wondered what the hell he was doing and why he seemed to have an obsession for smelling her. She sighed out with relief as he stood up straight and took a couple of steps back. She turned to the side, her hand still on her keys.
“I’d rather drive my own car, Jonah. I like to be independent. I’ll follow you if you’ll lead the way,” Michelle said, then relaxed as Jonah shrugged and walked to his truck. He had the engine running and was waiting on her by the time she was settled into her car and buckled in. She looked over and gave him a nod, letting him know she was ready.
Michelle took in the countryside once they had left the small town of Aztec behind. She’d never been this way before and took great delight in taking in the wide-open fields full of wildflowers and the native trees. She knew the spring flowers would soon wither and die as summer came to bear. The heat always killed off any blossoms quickly, and there never was enough rainfall in this part of the country to keep them hydrated. She was becoming anxious the farther away from Aztec they travelled and wondered just where the hell Jonah was leading her. She’d forgotten to ask where he was taking her for lunch, thinking it would be somewhere in Aztec. She was just about to stop her car and turn around when Jonah slowed his truck and turned into a driveway. She followed behind, taking in the large automatic gates and high fences surrounding the property. They travelled for another five hundred yards, and then she was gasping in awe.
The huge mansion with white columns on either side of the entry reminded her of the old movie with Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind. The house was three stories high and as wide as she’d ever seen. The man was obviously loaded. She followed his truck around the side of the house and pulled up behind him as he parked in a large carport. She turned off the engine and sat staring around her. The property had to be at least a couple of acres, and that was a guess because she couldn’t see where the fence line ended.
Michelle opened her car door, got out, and tried not to flinch when Jonah helped her with a hand at her elbow. The man seemed to love touching her, and she wasn’t used to being touched at all. She’d been abandoned as a baby and had lived in a convent and foster care. She’d never been hugged or touched as much in her life as she had since meeting Jonah Friess. She liked it, a lot, but was worried she would get used to it. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool out of herself by reading more into his courteous actions and throwing herself at him like she wanted to. Just because a man had good manners and touched her while helping guide her or make sure she was steady on her feet, didn’t mean he was attracted to her. But then if she had read his body language right, he didn’t exactly find her abhorrent.
“Relax, Michelle. You have nothing to be afraid of. No one here would ever harm you,” Jonah said as he slid his hand down her arm and clasped her hand in his. “Come on and we’ll get some lunch. I employ a wonderful housekeeper, and she makes the best food. Are you hungry?”
Michelle’s stomach took the opportune moment to growl loud enough for her to hear. She felt her face go red, but looked up at Jonah anyway. “It would seem so,” she said with a smile and walked alongside Jonah as he led her to a door off the carport.
The smells which assailed her nostrils made her saliva glands work overtime and her stomach grumble even louder in anticipation. She let Jonah lead her into a hallway, then turned right and found herself the center of attention. Jonah had led her into a huge kitchen dining room. There were two women working in the kitchen, and the dining table was surrounded by men and a few women. She lowered her eyes and stared at her feet as all eyes turned toward her and Jonah.
“Michelle, I like you to meet my housekeeper, Angela, and her daughter, Cindy. Angie has worked in the house since I was a baby. She takes good care of everyone here, so if you ever need anything just ask Angela.”
“Welcome, Michelle,” Angela said.
“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you, and you, too, Cindy,” Michelle greeted both women.
“Come and sit down and I’ll introduce you to everyone else,” Jonah said and tugged on her hand gently, pulling her along with him.
Michelle followed Jonah to the other side of the long timber dining table. The room was nearly as big as her whole house, and the table was nearly as large. Jonah stopped at the end of the table where two empty chairs were waiting. Instead of sitting down, he waited until all eyes were on them and drew her in close to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Everyone, this is Michelle Barclay, she’ll be joining us for lunch today. Michelle, I’ll start on this side of the table and tell you everyone’s names as we go around, but don’t worry if you don’t remember them all. Just ask if you forget people’s names. We understand it takes time and can be overwhelming to meet such a large group of people,” Jonah said. “This is my brother Mikhail, and next to him are our cousins Chris, Blayk, and James Friess. And more of our cousins on our mother’s side of the family are Jake, Greg, and Devon Domain, who are seated from James down.”
Michelle was lost after that. She tried to pick out features on people’s faces to remember them, but there were just too many of them. She didn’t realize she’d tuned out until she heard Jonah introducing another brother, Brock, who was seated to the left of where she stood. She gave him a polite smile, and then her smile widened as Brock burst out laughing. She had no idea what was so funny, but she could feel the tension draining from her at such a full-bodied belly laugh and the twinkle of mischief in Brock’s eyes.
“Don’t worry about remembering the names, baby. You’ll have us all down pat before you know it,” Brock said as he rose from his chair.
Michelle had to crick her neck to keep her eyes on his. The man was a veritable giant. He had to be at least a foot taller than she was, and boy, was he packed full of muscle. His shoulders were so wide he blocked out the light as he stood before her. His shoulders and pectoral muscles moved under the tight black T-shirt he wore. His abs rippled and tapered down into slim hips, strong, muscular thighs, and the longest legs she’d ever seen. She could feel her face heating as her libido once again decided to take control over her mind.
The sound of another male voice calling her name made her turn toward Mikhail. She felt a shiver race up her spine as she looked into Mikhail’s silver-gray eyes and felt her pussy leak onto her panties. God, what is wrong with me? It’s bad enough lusting after one man, but three? Get a grip, Michelle.
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