Welterweight (Hallow Brothers Book 1)

by Tricia Andersen

“Caleb!” There was a knock and then the door was thrown open. Micah stumbled inside and then covered his eyes. “Oh, shit. Sorry.”

  Caleb growled low as he wrapped his arms around Meg to shield her bare back from his brother. “What the fuck do you want?”

  “Have you checked your email?”

  “Does it look like I’ve checked my email? I’ll do it later.”

  “Have you talked to Willy?”

  “Get out, Micah, before I kill you.”

  “The convention center was booked out from under the promotion. Some big name country signer took it. They bumped your fight back a week. Willy didn’t protest. He actually suggested it. Want to fucking kill me now?”

  Caleb stiffened under Meg’s touch. His face was suddenly stone. Meg frowned, confused. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s a full moon,” he muttered.

  “You’re the main event. It’s summer. The days are long. But your fight will be after…”

  He stared into her eyes. “After the moon rises. Yeah.” He blew out a long breath. “Micah, go. I’ll meet you and Josiah in a second. Just give Meg a moment to dress.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that again.” Micah opened the door and stepped outside.

  Caleb let her go and picked up her shirt from where he dropped it on the floor. He handed it to her. “Sorry about that.”

  She fastened her bra and pulled the shirt on. “Don’t apologize. I have you all night. You need to fix this.”

  He took her hand in his and led her out of the cabin and across the camp to the family building. Josiah and Micah were already waiting in the office. Samuel, the brother just older than Caleb, was typing on the computer as he bit his lower lip.

  Josiah leaned against the desk as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Sam, go. We’ll cover your shift. We need to talk to Caleb.”

  Samuel’s eyes never left the screen. “Fuck, no.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Samuel spun in his chair toward the others. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I am the third oldest. Older than Caleb, correct? That gives me hierarchy. If Micah stays, so do I.”

  “Because I need one more person busting my ass over this,” Caleb interjected.

  “No one’s busting your ass, Cay,” Micah replied. “But this is a problem. A huge one.”

  “You know Leroy Nelson. Can you talk to him?”

  Micah shrugged. “Sure I can. But I have no skin in this game. He’ll hear me but it won’t mean shit.”

  “I’m your brother. How can you have no skin in this game?”

  “Yes, you’re my brother. The only one I don’t represent.”

  “Yeah, well maybe you will.” Caleb let go of Meg’s hand and disappeared around the corner. She forced a smile on her face as the other three Hallow brothers stared at her. She couldn’t help but quake a little. They didn’t have to be werewolves to be intimidating. All the brothers were. Even Abraham. With their sculpted muscles, their dark thick hair, their piercing brown eyes, the way they held themselves, it was easy to see that they were bred to conquer. Is there anyone who can control any of these guys? She didn’t know where Caleb wandered to, but she could hear his voice clear as day. It was rough and violent.

  Josiah rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Meg, we need your help.”

  Meg let go a laugh. “How do you think I can help?”

  “If the time comes that we need action, we need you to help us influence Caleb to make the right decision.”

  “You’re giving me way too much credit.”

  “Hardly,” Micah replied. “You were gone just a few days and he was unnerved. His beast was unbelievably restless.”

  Meg chuckled again. “Well, it’s been non-stop sex since we met. He was probably getting a little backed up and needed release.”

  Micah’s face was dead serious. “He talked about you. He tried not to but he did. You need to understand, Meg. Our brother doesn’t talk about women, not even his girlfriend in Germany who died. He cares about one person. Himself. Not us. Not his own mother. That is, until you walked into his life.”

  Meg stared at them, stunned. Josiah continued. “So you see why we need you to work with us.”

  “You want me to manipulate him.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I won’t.”

  Samuel tilted his chair back as he folded his hands across his chest. “Why the hell not? He’s treated you like crap. Yeah, we all heard him. Besides you’re one of us now. We think for the group, not the individual.”

  “Because he’s my mate,” Meg answered. “We’re one. I’m not going to betray him because it would be like betraying myself. If what you want is in his best interest, great. If not, figure it out yourself.”

  Samuel looked at Josiah. “He mated with a carbon copy of himself. Fantastic.”

  “Sam,” Josiah chided. He looked at Meg. Then he nodded. “All right. We work at your discretion. But you need to hear us out. Okay?”

  Micah frowned. “Why did you just fold?”

  Josiah gave her a small grin. “Because she fought for him. I know better than to cross a woman who is defending her mate. I’ve lived with Momma. But understand, we too have his best interests at heart. We have known him longer.”

  “You want him to drop his fight,” Meg accused.

  “Exactly,” Samuel chimed in.

  Josiah shot Samuel a glare and then turned back to Meg. “First, we want him to drop that piece of shit manager he has and have Micah handle things like he does with the rest of us.”

  Meg noticed all three brothers stiffen before she heard the voice behind her. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to harass my mate to get that wish,” Caleb told them. “It’s done. I fired Willy. Micah, you’re in charge. You got what you wanted. Now leave Meg the fuck alone. Don’t force her to act against me or you’ll regret it.”

  “Big talk from a little man,” Samuel shot back.

  “Get up and say that to my face, asshole.”

  Josiah stood, stretching his well over six-foot frame out. He sent a cold, even look at each of his brothers. “That’s enough, gentlemen. Caleb, Meg, have a seat. There are things we still need to cover.”

  Meg looked at her mate. He stood still as stone with his fists clenched at his sides. Josiah pointed at a chair and continued. “I said sit.”

  “Fuck you,” Caleb spat with a growl.

  Josiah raised his hands in mock surrender. “All right. We apologize to you both. We were out of line. We shouldn’t have asked Meg to act against you. We are trying to do what’s best for you and for the family.”

  Caleb didn’t move. He just glared at Josiah. “Fuck the family.”

  Meg gently rubbed his arm as she spoke. “Cay, this still has to be figured out. Fighting your brothers isn’t going to fix it. This problem is bigger than you and I can solve alone. Let’s hear them out.”

  Caleb gazed down at her as his features softened. He cupped her cheek to draw her to him and kissed her. Her mouth melted against his. For a moment his scent, his taste was all that existed. Caleb Hallow was her universe, her deity. Nothing else mattered.

  Her head was still spinning when Caleb broke the kiss and landed in the chair with a thud. She squeaked when he pulled her down on his lap. “So talk,” he demanded.

  Micah rounded the desk and leaned against it with Josiah. “As your new manager, I can’t let you take this fight.”

  “I’ve already fired one manager. I have no problem firing two.”

  “The moon will have risen before you’re done. You’ll expose who we are.”

  “So?”

  “Okay, what do you think the crowd will do when a werewolf suddenly shows up in the cage? Do you think you’ll get out alive?”

  “I’ll prevent the change.”

  “Under the duress of a fight? How do you plan to hold your concentration and not get your ass kicked at the same time?”

  Caleb snarled in response. Meg looked at Micah. “Can they reverse the order?�
��

  “The main event first? I doubt it.”

  “Aren’t there two belts on the line?”

  “Yes.”

  “So there are technically two main events?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I do know there are a lot of people who want to see this fight, especially now that the rumors are flying that Caleb Hallow stole Austin Graves’ girlfriend from him.”

  Samuel raised his hand to get everyone’s attention. “Boys and girls, that isn’t a rumor. You used to fuck Austin. Now you’re fucking my brother.”

  “Great observation.” Meg took a breath. “If you call Leroy and threaten to pull Caleb out of the fight, I bet he’ll cave and rearrange the schedule. He’ll lose too much money if he doesn’t.”

  Josiah looked at Micah. “Would that work?”

  Micah sighed. “Like I said, I doubt it. But it’s worth asking. She makes some great points. I’ll call Leroy this afternoon.”

  “We’ll need a Plan B. I’ll talk to Littlefoot and get his thoughts.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Now that you all made my decisions for me, can I go?” Caleb interjected.

  “Will this work for you?” Josiah questioned.

  Caleb gazed up at Meg while tenderly rubbing her leg. It just reminded her how badly she needed him alone, naked, and inside her. “Yeah. I’m willing to work with this.”

  “Great. Go train.”

  “Fuck that. I’m going to go get a workout but not in the gym.”

  “Whatever. Go. Meeting adjourned.”

  Caleb lifted Meg off his lap and stood with her. He nudged her toward the door and took her hand. Her heart raced as they hurried across the camp back to the cabin. Meg scrambled to lock the door as Caleb pressed her against it with his body. His fingers climbed up her rib cage as he grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up. The thin fabric disappeared and was replaced by the cool wood of the door against her belly. She moaned.

  He cupped her breasts in his hands as he kissed her shoulder, her neck, her chin. He pinched her nipples until she groaned again. She tossed her head back, letting her blonde locks flow down her back. She arched her ass against him.

  “Fuck,” he breathed.

  “Please,” she begged as she unfastened her shorts and then shoved them and her panties to the ground. “Right here against the door. Now.”

  Caleb pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, trailing them down her body between her legs. She felt him rub her nub before he slipped his fingers inside her.

  “No, you,” she whimpered.

  “All in good time, baby. I want to watch you come first.”

  Meg rocked against his hand to drive his fingers deeper. She could feel his cock nestled between her ass. His bare, muscular chest against her back, his lips conquering her. His deep, deliberate thrusts brought her rush quick. Her legs trembled as the wave washed over her. Caleb ran his free hand up her throat to lift her chin. She caught his gaze through glazed eyes. He was cool and calculating. She was a quivering mess.

  “Hate…you,” she gasped.

  “Oh, princess.” He nibbled on the curve of her ear. “Why? Tell me why you hate me.”

  “My legs are shaking so hard I can barely stand. You’re standing there like it’s nothing.”

  “Like I said, I want to watch you peak. Seeing you come undone, seeing you wanton and wild is the most sensual, most beautiful thing I’ve laid eyes on. I want to conquer this. I want to make this mine and dominate it. You don’t think this affects me?” His hand left her throat. A moment later he snaked his finger between her gasping lips. “Taste that? What is that?”

  She couldn’t answer. She could only suck. The taste of his flesh and semen on her tongue left her mindless. She let go for just a moment when he pulled his hand free from between her legs, leaned her forward a little, and thrust his cock inside.

  Meg captured his finger again and kept suckling. She could hear him growl. His hand palmed across her belly as his tempo increased. She couldn’t think. He filled every sense. His harsh breath filled her ears. The smell of sex filled her nose. He grunted and cursed as he slipped a second finger in her mouth. Her tongue caressed them. She cried out against the intrusion as another orgasm overtook her, leaving stars in her eyes. Caleb’s embrace was the only thing keeping her on her feet.

  “Meg, fuck, Meg,” he breathed as she felt him throb inside her, the warmth of his release filling her. He pulled her tight to him as he pulsed once or twice more.

  “Still hate me?” he whispered in her ear as his teeth nibbled on it.

  She couldn’t answer him. She clung to him as she shook.

  “Do you?” he insisted.

  “Caleb, bed,” she murmured. “Need you.”

  “You hate me.”

  She shook her head. “You scare me. The way you make me feel. I’ve never felt like this. I’m going to explode to pieces. How do you make me feel like this?”

  “Because I can’t help it. I need to make you mine. Making love to you is solely the most exquisite sensation I’ve ever felt. I need that rush over and over. You’re a drug, an addiction. There’s no cure. You need to be mine.”

  “There will never be anyone but you.”

  “You are mine.”

  “Yes.”

  “And I am yours. No other woman can hold a candle to you. Fuck, Meg.” He rolled his hips into her, driving him deep. She groaned. He was getting hard again. “How can you have so much control over me? No one controls me. No one. What did you do to me?”

  There were no more words. They were replaced by grunts and groans as they arched and bucked in time. Caleb stopped long enough to turn her to face him before he drove deep into her again. He hooked her leg in his arm to thrust deeper. Meg’s gasps pitched higher as her head swam with pleasure. She peaked again, clinging to her mate as the blaze tore through her. Caleb parted her mouth with his as he pinned her against the door with his hips. She felt him swell and fill her again. He shuddered as he came.

  He touched her face as he kissed her. “What am I going to do with you, Meg?”

  She smiled as he tilted her head to kiss the pad of his thumb. “I guess you’ll have to keep me to find out.”

  “I am going to keep you starting with my bed.” He pulled free and then dropped to his knee. Before Meg knew it, he buried his shoulder into her belly and scooped her on his shoulder. He carried her to his bedroom and tossed her on his bed, closing the door behind them.

  Chapter Nine

  Meg realized something was different before the morning sunlight pierced her senses. Instead of waking up in a heap of sheets, she woke up next to a warm, muscular body. Fingers combed through her hair. The thud of a heartbeat nearly lulled her back to sleep. She blinked her eyes open and lifted her head, gazing into Caleb’s eyes.

  “I thought you’d be training by now,” she commented with a smirk.

  “I’ll get there eventually,” he answered. “If you want, you can take a run with me.”

  “I’m not much of a runner.”

  “Don’t care. It’s better than hanging around the kitchen baking shit all day.”

  She smiled at him and then laced a trail of kisses across his chest. “You know, your mom told me why we are constantly trying to fuck each other’s brains out.”

  Caleb groaned. “You’re talking to my mom about our sex life?”

  “It came up. She thinks it’s so we get to know each other. She said it’ll wear off in a few months. Bummer, huh?”

  “Princess, if you keep talking about my mom, we won’t have a sex life.”

  “Hmm, that’s not what I’m noticing.”

  “If you wrap that pretty mouth around it, it’ll stand at attention quicker.”

  Meg grinned at him and crawled out of bed. “Thought we were going running.”

  He glared at her as he climbed out of bed after her. She pulled a T-shirt and a pair of capris from her backpack and put them on. Glancing over her s
houlder, she watched as he tugged his shorts on. The way his muscles moved mesmerized her.

  He caught her staring. “You’d see it closer if you’d get back in bed with me.”

  “I thought you had to go running.”

  “I can burn just as many calories having sex with you. It’s great for my cardio too.”

  Meg strutted to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Maybe we can sneak a quick romp before you go into the gym.”

  “Or maybe we’ll just fuck in the woods.”

  A smile cracked across Meg’s lips. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?”

  Caleb grinned. “We’re finally getting along. Who would have thought that would happen?”

  “Considering how much we don’t like each other?”

  He kissed her. “Exactly. Let’s go run.”

  He escorted her from the cabin and led her to the road that disappeared into the woods. She frowned. “We’re running this?”

  “It’s a great jogging path,” Caleb explained. “No one comes up here but Sharky and Littlefoot so there’s no concern of traffic. And if they do come up here, we’ll hear them long before they reach us.”

  “But the hills.”

  “Aww, princess. Are you afraid of a couple hills?”

  Meg scowled. “I told you I don’t run well. And why the hell do you call me princess? It’s condescending.”

  Caleb hovered over her. His smile was pure sin. “I’ll admit it. I meant it to be demeaning at first, but baby, I’m the king of the fucking cage. Doesn’t that make you my princess?”

  “I’m your mate. Shouldn’t that make me your queen?”

  Caleb backed away from her down the road. He winked at her. “Princess sounds far dirtier. No one wants to fuck the queen. They want the princess.” He turned around and jogged off.

  Meg watched him, stunned for a moment before she hurried to catch up with him.

  Caleb was an amazingly patient running partner. Meg half expected him to leave her in the dust, but he slowed his pace when she fell behind. He motioned her into the brush when he heard a car coming. Together they stopped to watch Littlefoot’s truck rumble by.

  He frowned. “Wonder what he’s here for.”

  “Maybe we should go back and find out.”