by Lori Drake
“I don’t suppose you have some spare pants stashed here somewhere?” He eyed his brother.
Ben grinned. “Sorry, no. But I’m sure we can find you something. Come on.”
In the end, it was a pair of Colt’s sweatpants that Chris ended up in. He’d declined the offer of a pair of boxers. It wasn’t that he had a problem with the Lone Star flag print, but rather that wearing another man’s boxers was only slightly less desirable than going commando in another man’s pants.
Despite his protests, his own pants and boxer briefs were whisked off to be laundered. The Granite Falls wolves were extremely accommodating, except when it came to his efforts to glean information about what’d happened in the woods. Every one he tried to question toed the party line, but at least most of them looked regretful about it.
It was nearly one o’clock when he was settled in a musty-smelling guest room with a pile of blankets. He hadn’t seen Joey since she’d gone off on her own quest for answers, but it was probably for the best. He didn’t know what to say to her anyway. Part of him wanted to strangle her. Another part wanted to throw her in the car and take her home, away from whatever danger lurked in the darkness. He fell into bed in his borrowed sweats and undershirt, curled up under the mound of blankets, and closed his eyes.
He had no idea what time it was when he woke. The room was dark, lit only by the ambient starlight that filtered in past the curtains. A noise had woken him, but he wasn’t sure what it was. The room appeared as it had when he’d lain down, but a moment later, the bed shifted and creaked as someone slid under the covers behind him.
Chris held his breath. It had to be Joey. Who else could it be? But the scent, not to mention the proportions of the feminine form that cuddled up against his back, was all wrong. An arm slid around him, warm fingers boldly sliding up his shirt. He didn’t know what to do. He’d never been in this situation before.
“I think you’re in the wrong room,” he said.
The hand froze, then brushed warmly across his stomach. “Mmmm. I beg to differ.”
The voice was all too familiar. He’d know that husky purr anywhere. Chris closed his eyes, hesitating a moment before he caught Jessica’s arm and removed her hand from beneath his shirt.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
The warmth of her breath on the back of his neck made the hairs there stand up, and he couldn’t help the corresponding stirring of his loins. His neck was very sensitive.
He scooted away from her and turned onto his back. She propped herself up on an elbow, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders as she smiled down at him.
“What’s wrong? Do you prefer boys?”
Chris blinked. “Uh, no…”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No, but doesn’t it seem like these are the sorts of things you should already know about someone before you crawl into bed with them?”
Her smile twitched into a grin. “What’s the fun in that?”
Yeah, this one was trouble with a capital T. He flirted with the idea of going through with it. Why not, after all? Joey had made her decision pretty damn clear, and it wasn’t like he’d never been with another woman. Maybe what he needed was a proper distraction. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander? Hell, maybe once Jessica loosened up, she might tell him what he wanted to know.
It was the last thought that stopped him: literally pumping her for information. It felt sleazy. He sighed.
“Look, Jess, you’re a real nice girl and I appreciate the offer, but…”
She laughed lightly and tipped her head back. “Oh no, you did not just give me the ‘nice girl’ line.” Her hand slid up his thigh, and he was suddenly very glad he’d worn Colt’s sweatpants to bed.
He caught her wrist, fingers gentle but firm. She gasped and looked down at him, running the tip of her tongue along her upper lip. Even trying to fend her off, he was apparently pushing her buttons.
“Seriously, Jess. Stop.”
She flopped onto her back beside him with a huff. He turned over onto his side to face her, tucking an arm under the pillow.
“Stop it,” she said, and threw an arm across her eyes.
Chris frowned. “Stop what?”
“Judging me.”
“I’m not judging you. But if you don’t want to be judged, maybe you should consider, I dunno, not crawling into bed with strangers.”
“You’re not a stranger.”
“We’ve known each other, what, five minutes?”
“I know more about you than I did about the last five guys I slept with.”
He poked her in the side gently. “Okay, now I’m judging you.”
She turned onto her side again to face him, but kept her distance this time, lips twisted in a smirk. “Why don’t you want me? I know it’s not me, so it has to be you.”
“Glad to see your ego is intact,” he murmured. This time, she poked him. “Is it that hard to believe that I’m just not the kind of guy who wants to sleep with someone he just met?”
“No, I believe you’re that kind of guy. Which sucks, because it just makes you that much more desirable.”
He felt himself blushing, and was suddenly grateful for the darkness of the room. “Well, I’m sorry, I guess.”
“I don’t think that’s it, though.”
“Huh?”
“What’s the other reason?”
“Do you have something to take notes with?”
“There are that many?” She smirked again. “Okay, now my ego is in jeopardy.”
Chris chuckled at that and reached over to catch a lock of her dark hair. He coiled it loosely around a finger. “It’s complicated.”
“Don’t be coy. You’re not the only one with issues.”
“I’ve got subscriptions.”
She snorted and watched him in silence.
“You asked if I had a girlfriend, and I don’t, but—”
“Ahhh. I can respect that.”
Silence settled between them for a few moments. Chris let his hand drop and closed his eyes. Part of him wished he did want to have sex with Jessica. She seemed fun.
“Is it Joey?”
Jessica’s words jolted Chris from his musings. He opened his eyes again. “What makes you think that?”
She shrugged. “Woman’s intuition. I thought I caught a glimmer of something earlier, but I couldn’t be sure. I mean, there’s no nice way to ask a guy if he wants to fuck his sister.”
Chris rubbed his face. “God, don’t put it like that. It’s…”
“Gross?”
Chris struggled to find the words. “Overly simplified.”
“I get it. I mean, I don’t get it, but I know what it’s like to love someone that doesn’t want you.” She looked away, expression thoughtful, then back. “Maybe we can help each other out.”
“I’m not sure there’s any help for me. She’s clearly moved on.”
“Moved on… you mean she was into you at one point?”
“I guess you could say that.”
She considered that a moment, then shrugged. “Then it doesn’t matter.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’d seen the expression on her face when you took a header downstairs earlier… If I were a betting woman, and I occasionally am, I’d wager she’s still got feelings for you. And if she does, there’s one surefire way to get her to show it.”
“And what, pray tell, is that?”
Jessica smiled. “Make her jealous.”
Chris laughed. “I think you’ve watched too many rom-coms.”
“It works, trust me. I’m a girl, remember?”
“What exactly are you proposing?”
“I’ll be your beard.”
“Pretty sure only gay guys need beards.”
“You know what I mean. We fake being into each other, put on a show for her. It’s sure to rouse the green-eyed monster.”
“
How does that help you?”
“Well… let’s just say that I wouldn’t shed a tear if she got her hooks out of Eric.”
Chris grimaced. “Eric? Really? What is it with this guy?”
“He’s not an easy man, but I’ve been with him a long time. We’ve got history. His heart’s in the right place. He cares about his people, takes care of them, you know?”
“Like he took care of Jenny?”
Jessica winced. “That’s not fair. No one could have anticipated that. Whatever that was.”
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this plan, both from a “deceiving Joey” perspective and a “helping any woman win over Eric” perspective. “I dunno, Jess. It doesn’t feel right. If she ever found out, she’d kill me.”
Jessica scooted closer and curled an arm around him. “She won’t find out. No one knows but you and me, right? I won’t tell her.”
It was a crazy plan. Crazy enough that it might just work, but would the ends justify the means? Could he keep the secret from Joey for the rest of their lives, or would the deception eat him up inside?
“I… I…”
The refusal was on the tip of his tongue when the bedroom door opened and light spilled into the room from the hallway. Chris twisted to squint at the familiar silhouette in the doorway, and his heart sank into his stomach. Joey.
He couldn’t see her face, backlit as she was, but she stood there for an awkward moment while Jessica sat up, clutching the sheet against her bare chest. Why hadn’t he noticed until then that she was topless?
“What’s up?” Jessica asked.
“Jenny’s awake. I just thought… that is… Um, sorry to uh… Sorry.”
Chris sat up. “Joey, wait—”
Joey stepped back and closed the door, not letting him get any further.
Chris groaned and flopped back down on the bed. “Shit.”
Joey shut the door behind her and held on to the handle for a long moment, as if it might fly open again if she didn’t hold it shut. Her vision swam as a maelstrom of emotion raged within her. It was hard to believe what she’d walked in on. Chris and Jessica. In bed. Her heart ached, but there was nothing to be done now. She’d made this bed, so to speak, and now she had to lie in it. Alone. While Jessica warmed Chris’s.
Damnit. She didn’t want to cry.
Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she headed for the stairs. Chris could lounge around with Jess if he wanted to. She had no claim on him anymore, no matter the regrets that swirled in the pit of her stomach. She had better things to do than wallow in self-pity, and those things started with Jenny.
By the time Joey got downstairs, she’d managed to swallow the tears and get a better grip on herself. She knocked on the sickroom door before poking her head in to check the lay of the land. She’d expected Ben to be there; she’d alerted him to Jenny’s waking before going looking for Chris. Lucy sat at the end of the bed with a hand on Jenny’s ankle, staying out of the way but lingering by her packmate’s side. The fourth person in the room surprised her, but perhaps it shouldn’t have.
It was Eric. He turned to look her way as the door creaked open, and her left eye twitched in annoyance. She was still irked with him, but it was Jenny she was concerned with in the moment. The poor girl whimpered and moaned in obvious agony.
“Ready for a visitor yet?” Joey asked.
Lucy glanced her way and smiled weakly, but Ben didn’t look up. He rummaged through his medical bag for something. Hopefully for that ibuprofen he’d mentioned earlier. Jenny looked miserable.
Eric detached himself and approached, motioning for Joey to step outside. She arched a brow, but withdrew into the hall. He followed her out and pulled the door closed behind him.
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s in a lot of pain.” His eyes lifted, looking past her.
Joey turned and followed the direction of his gaze down the hallway. Chris approached, with Jessica—now clothed—bringing up the rear. That icepick stabbed Joey’s heart again, but she did her best to keep her expression neutral as she turned back to Eric. He eyed the newcomers.
“Was she able to answer any questions?” Joey asked, doing her best to focus on the matter at hand.
“Not yet,” Eric said. “Ben said he’d give her something for the pain, that maybe she’d have a better shot at coherent sentences once that took effect.”
Joey nodded and stepped forward with every intent of slipping past Eric and going back into the room, but he shifted to block her path. She frowned up at him. “What?”
“You can wait in the living room.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Get out of the way.” She tried to push past him again, but he didn’t budge.
“Pack only,” he said, and motioned over his shoulder with his head. Jessica prowled forward and slipped past Eric into the room.
Joey growled softly in frustration and started forward again, but Chris stepped up behind her and caught her arm. She glared over her shoulder at him, but stopped.
“We’ll wait in the living room,” Chris said.
Eric nodded, followed Jessica into the bedroom, and shut the door again.
Joey yanked her arm free and whirled to face Chris. Anger bubbled inside her, blotting out the hurt that threatened to surface just from looking at him. She wanted to talk to Jenny. Needed to talk to Jenny. The girl had been so close to opening up to her before all this happened, but if Eric got to her first… Joey just didn’t trust him.
“You have no idea what you’re doing,” she said to Chris, voice low.
“I know he’s territorial as hell, and starting a fight isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
Mention of Eric’s territorial nature made Joey’s neck heat. She could still feel the mark he’d left there barely an hour ago, faded but present. Her fingers itched to cover it, but she didn’t want to draw attention to it.
“I can handle him.”
Chris smirked, glancing down and back up. “Yeah, I can see that.”
The mark hadn’t escaped his notice after all. Joey’s face heated, but the embarrassment was just more fuel for the fire. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when the door opened again behind her. Ben stumbled out with an annoyed look on his face, clutching his medical bag. He cast an unkind look over his shoulder as the door shut behind him.
“What the… They threw you out?” Joey said. “Did they at least let you give Jenny something for the pain?”
“Yes and yes. Well, sort of. Eric said he’d give it to her.”
Joey frowned. “Do you think he will?”
“Yes,” Chris said, though he hadn’t been the one she asked. “Jess says he takes care of his people. He doesn’t want Jenny to suffer any more than we do.”
Joey rolled her eyes and turned, pushing past Chris to stalk down the hallway. “Oh, well I guess if Jess says so…” She clenched her jaw shut rather than finish the thought.
Ben and Chris followed her to the living room, where they dropped onto opposite ends of the sofa and watched her pace on the other side of the coffee table. Back and forth she went, letting the movement calm her mind. Dancing would have been better, but it was neither the time nor the place.
“What’s the problem?” Chris asked, after a minute or so had passed.
Joey shook her head and kept pacing. She couldn’t talk about her suspicions about Eric any more than she could earlier. Not out in the open. “No problem,” she said. “Just eager to get to the bottom of this.”
“Maybe we could step outside for a moment?” Ben suggested. “I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs.”
“Isn’t there a guy with a gun out there somewhere?” Chris countered.
“Oh, right.”
Joey halted, eyes locking on the front door. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.
In the silence that followed, she heard it again: the creaking of the old wooden porch. A shadow fell on the door, visible through the narrow
translucent panel that ran down its side. Her heart skipped a beat. There was someone on the porch.
The front door handle rattled. Ben and Chris leapt to their feet. All three stood watching while the handle moved left and right, but the door failed to open. Joey had made damn sure every door and window in the house was locked.
On silent feet, she crossed to the fireplace and grabbed the poker, then started toward the door.
“Joey, no!”
She ignored Chris’s urgent whisper and crept to the door. The handle had gone still and the shadow moved on, boards creaking underfoot as the prowler approached one of the front windows. Joey quietly unlatched the deadbolt and pulled open the door, assaulted by a gust of frigid night air as she stepped out onto the porch with the poker raised. The figure hunched over the window turned, and the front porch light illuminated his face.
“Itsuo?” Joey relaxed a hair and lowered the poker, pretty sure she wasn’t going to have to use it. Hell, if what Ben and Chris had said about his altercation with Eric were even half true, the damn thing probably wouldn’t help her anyway. “Did you forget your keys or something?”
He shrugged. “I do not usually need them.”
Joey felt more than heard Chris step up behind her. She knew it was him by the way he touched her back to let her know he was there. It was a familiar gesture for them, their partnership. Ben would have been more likely to step up beside her, but Chris… Chris always had her back.
“Come inside,” he said, wariness in his voice.
“Is something wrong?” Itsuo asked, dark brows drawing together.
Joey nodded. “Yes. Please, come inside and we’ll explain everything. At least, as much as we can.”
Itsuo nodded, and together they went inside. Joey closed the door and locked it again, then walked over to put the fireplace poker back with the other tools. Her teeth were practically chattering from the cold outside. The house was better, but still chilly. Eric kept the thermostat pretty low. She rubbed her arms and considered a fire, but more important matters soon resurfaced.
Itsuo stood quietly with his hands tucked up the sleeves of his coat, not bothering to remove it right away. He looked between the three of them expectantly, and something in his quiet manner compelled Joey to speak.
