by Leah Brooke
Sexy.
Uninhibited.
Turning her head, she sank her teeth into Leland’s muscular chest, smiling when he growled again. “I love those growls. They make you sound so primitive.”
Leland cupped the back of her head and held it against his chest, preventing her from sinking her teeth into him again. “Then be prepared for a lot of growling because you make me feel very primitive.”
Crying out at the sting and burn of having her ass filled, Glenna pressed her feet against Joe’s thighs, her entire body tight and shaking. “Yes. Oh, God. I’m gonna come.” She felt hot everywhere, her body wracked with shudders as the pleasure mounted.
Holding her hips, Joe began to move, each slow, shallow thrust taking his cock deeper. “So fucking tight. So fucking hot.”
He withdrew slightly and slid deeper as Leland slid his hands to her hips. Bending over her, Joe slid his lips over her shoulder, while his hands came around her to close on her breasts. “So fucking sweet. My mate.”
“Our mate.” Leland’s hands tightened as he began to surge into her, his cock going deep as Joe’s withdrew until only the head of his cock remained inside her. “She’s milking my damned cock again. Hell, I thought I’d imagined how fucking good it felt to be inside her, but those little ripples are driving me crazy.”
Joe surged into her ass again as Leland withdrew, the rhythm of their thrusts keeping a constant friction against the inner walls of her pussy and ass. “I feel them. Holy shit. I’m never gonna last.” His tone and his touch became rougher, his fingers closing on her nipples.
With her eyes closed, Glenna threw her head back, the dual vibrations from their cocks, and the attention to her nipples drawing deep, desperate cries from her—cries that seemed to add to their excitement.
Leland moved faster, fucking her with harder, frustratingly shallow thrusts while using his thumb to manipulate her clit. “Yeah. Come, baby. Let go.”
Joe groaned and moved faster. “This ass is incredible.” To her delight, he closed his teeth over the place between her neck and shoulder, the demand in the primitive gesture driving her higher.
She felt so feminine. So primal. So desired.
With a hoarse cry of completion, she pressed her knees into the bedding and pushed her thighs wider in an instinctive need to give herself over to them. “Yes! Oh, God.” A long moan escaped as the swells of it washed over her, their deep growls of release as they thrust faster into her sending another wave of bliss through her.
The pleasure continued to roll through her, her entire body trembling from the force of her orgasm. Her nipples and clit throbbed and tingled, the light friction of their fingertips keeping the tingling vibrations coursing through her.
Joe’s thrusts slowed and then stopped altogether only moments before Leland’s did. Releasing his grip in her shoulder, he sighed and brushed his lips over the delicate spot. “I’ll never get enough of you. I love you, my mate.”
Sandwiched between them, Glenna smiled, moaning when he started to withdraw from her ass. “I love you, too. So damned much.”
Chuckling softly, he kissed her bottom as he rose. “Good, because I’m never letting you get away from me again. I’m going to get cleaned up and I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”
Leland’s arms tightened around her. “She’s not going anywhere.” Running a hand over her hair, he bent to touch his lips to the top of her head. “We have an hour before we have to leave. I plan to spend every second of it wrapped around her.”
Lifting her head, Glenna forced her eyes open to stare into his. “I love you. You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
Leland smiled, cupping her jaw. “Even more careful than usual. I have a lot to live for, and a mate and son to come home to.” His hands slid to her breasts, massaging gently, his eyes glittering with emotion. “I’d resigned myself to never having a woman in my life, but even in my wildest dreams, I never thought love could be like this. It scares me to think about how close I came to letting you get away. It scares me to think about the consequences of not finding you. You and our son are everything to me now. Nothing is more important. I love you, my mate, more than I ever thought I could love a woman. You’ve changed my life.”
Incredibly touched, Glenna blinked back tears. “Oh, Leland. I think that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Closing his eyes, he pulled her close again. “Just wanted you to know how much you mean to me. I’m not going to take any chances when it comes to the jobs we take, and I’m going to be arrogant and bossy as hell when it comes to protecting you.” Chuckling softly, he ran a hand over her bottom. “So whenever you want to nag me for being an arrogant jerk, just remember how much I love you.”
Glenna smiled against his chest. “I’ll remember.” Lifting her head, she touched her finger to his lips, smiling when he kissed it. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to meekly put up with your arrogance.”
Leland’s chuckle rumbled from deep inside his chest. “I never doubted that for a minute, my mate. You’re the perfect mate for the Alphas.” Opening one eye, he stared at her. “Just remember that your mates are the Alphas and perfectly capable of taking care of you.”
Stretching out on top of him, Glenna sighed, her body still trembling in the aftermath of their lovemaking, and her heart almost bursting with love for both of them. “You sure are.”
As Joe slid back into the bed next to her, she reached for him. “I never thought it was possible to love like this, either. It scared me when I realized I was in love with both of you. Now, I can’t imagine my life without either one of you.”
Lifting her head, she smiled, her heart nearly bursting with love for both of them. “My own sleek panthers.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Resting her arms on the top of the fence, Glenna stared out at the mountains, feeling better than she had in a long time.
She looked down at the ravine, shivering at how deep it was, and hurriedly lifted her gaze again. Just the thought of falling into it made her dizzy.
She wanted to lose herself in the beauty of the landscape in front of her, but tonight, she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by its beauty.
While her lovers were away, she had a mission of her own—and time was running out.
They would be home soon, and she wanted to have some answers waiting for them when they returned.
She wanted to make them proud, and to prove to them, and to the others that she wasn’t the weak, needy woman they’d been exposed to. She felt strong again, and loving Leland and Joe made her even stronger.
They’d all welcomed her with open arms, but the need to prove herself wouldn’t be denied.
She’d been standing here nearly an hour, and the scent of the sickeningly sweet perfume she’d doused herself in had started to give her a headache.
The wind shifted again, and she could only hope that the perfume she’d sprayed on the others would disguise their scents so that her would-be kidnapper wouldn’t be scared off.
Remembering the looks on their faces when she’d sprayed them, and the grumbling that had followed, she smiled.
They hadn’t been happy about it, but she knew they’d love to catch the man who’d been causing so much trouble.
She needed the man calling himself Jim to take the bait.
Her.
Looking toward the mountains, she surreptitiously scanned the surrounding area out of the corners of her eyes, searching for any sign of movement. After several more minutes went by, she started to get impatient, but knew she had to appear calm and relaxed to draw him in.
She didn’t hear a sound, but suddenly felt a presence that hadn’t been there a few seconds ago—a tingling sensation at the base of her neck.
Stiffening, she waited, her heart pounding furiously as she waited for him to make his move.
A low growl from her left, so familiar and so beloved had the tension leaving her body in a rush.
Leland and Joe had ret
Blowing out a breath, she glanced in that direction out of the corner of her eye, hoping they wouldn’t show themselves and ruin everything.
They probably stopped at the house and found out about her plan from Mitch and Vincent.
They could have stopped it, simply by walking up to her, but they hadn’t.
Warmed by their trust in her, she smiled again, staring back toward the mountains, secure in the knowledge that Leland and Joe watched over her.
* * * *
The scent of her perfume nearly gagged him, but he couldn’t let himself get distracted from what he had to do.
Worried that she was setting him up for an ambush, he’d watched and waited for nearly an hour.
The amount of perfume she wore assured that he couldn’t miss her, and made him very suspicious. His nerves stretched to the breaking point, the months of waiting after his last attempt weighing on him more every day.
The others no longer trusted him to do what needed to be done—something he couldn’t tolerate.
They’d wanted to join him, claiming that he wouldn’t be able to do this, but he was determined to do this alone.
He needed to do this alone.
He had to prove himself, or risk losing his position.
A niggling at the back of his neck had him pausing again, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He couldn’t smell anything except that disgusting perfume. He crept closer and closer, each second that passed increasing his conviction that she was alone.
It seemed strange that they’d left her alone, but he’d seen the Alphas and a few others leave the night before, and had to assume that the ones left behind no longer felt she was in danger.
They’d let their guard down. If he messed this up, they’d be on guard again.
He had to make this time count.
He’d been patient—watching her through binoculars from the mountains, and not coming near the house—and it appeared his patience would finally pay off.
Perhaps they thought they’d scared him off.
Perhaps they thought he was only interested in the child, when the truth was, he’d rather deal with a screaming woman than put up with a crying brat.
He couldn’t wait to take her to the others, who were holed up in the mountains, waiting for him to return.
They were probably already trying to decide who would be in charge if he failed.
He couldn’t fail.
He moved closer, so close that he could hear her breathing.
He stilled when she did, wondering if she’d somehow sensed him.
Impossible.
He was too sure-footed. Too careful.
A moment later, she relaxed again.
He moved forward, stilling again when he heard a sound that sounded suspiciously like a growl.
He waited, and waited—barely breathing.
After a few minutes of silence, he started to move again, sure that it must have been the rustle of the trees in the wind.
He glanced toward the house again, nervous that someone would come looking for her soon, or she would turn and go back to the house.
He’d waited long enough. He had to move now.
And prove his worth as the Alpha.
* * * *
Out of the corner of her eye, Glenna saw a flash of movement, and with a gasp, spun in that direction—the direction the growl had come from only minutes earlier.
Shocked to see Leland and Joe rushing past her, she whirled to watch them race across the yard, her heart pounding furiously at the scene unfolding before her.
Joshua moved fast for such a large man, with Graham and Thomas close at his heels. The three of them ran in the same direction that Leland and Joe ran—straight toward the man she’d been waiting for—who ran straight for her.
Her would-be kidnapper hadn’t gotten within twenty feet of her before the others caught him. Joshua, Graham, and Thomas blocked him on one side, while Leland and Joe blocked him on the other.
The other man stopped suddenly, his expression one of fear and panic. “You sons of bitches! You did this to ambush me, didn’t you?”
Joe crossed his arms over his chest, his relaxed pose not fooling her for a moment. “Would you mind telling us what this is all about, and why you keep trying to kidnap my mate?”
“Your what?” The clearly frightened man swung around from one to the other, his movements becoming even wilder when he realized they’d surrounded him and he had nowhere to go.
Gulping in air, Glenna started to move closer, but a warning glare from Joe stopped her in her tracks.
Turning back to the other man, Joe narrowed his eyes, the ice in them unmistakable even from this distance. “My mate.”
“Our mate.” Leland stepped closer to the stranger, his hands fisted at his sides. “Who are you and why have you been sniffing around? You told our mate you wanted revenge. Revenge for what?”
She knew Leland, and recognized that tone well enough to know that his features would be tight with anger and hard as stone.
The other man snarled. “Revenge for what? You didn’t even care enough to remember us. You left quite a few of us behind when you took off. We barely escaped with our lives when they came to kill our parents. We hid, and ended up escaping, but we’ve had to steal and kill just to survive. All these years, we’ve been on our own because none of you could be bothered. We were children, damn it! And you left us.”
Joe blinked, sharing a look with the others. “You were left behind? We didn’t know anyone was left behind.” The sorrow in his voice nearly broke her heart.
“Well, we were. We’d been cast out, but they found our parents, too. They killed them, and we were alone. We went looking for you—only to find that you’d left us.” The other man waved his arms, his face red with fury. “You lived here with everything. A family, a home, food, shelter—while we were living on the streets, stealing just to eat—killing just to survive. You bastards! You don’t deserve to live!”
Joe shook his head, his eyes filled with pity. “Why didn’t you come to us? Why didn’t you show yourselves? Introduce yourselves, instead of spying on us?”
“We didn’t need you!” In a suicidal move, the other man pulled a knife from his belt and lunged for Leland. “I’m the Alpha of my pack, and I’ll be the Alpha of this one!”
Leland growled and stepped aside, moving so fast she could barely keep track of him as he deftly avoided the blade of the knife, and went on the attack. “Like hell!”
Glenna gasped as he lunged again, shoving her fist against her mouth to keep from screaming and distracting Leland.
One wrong move and the long, deadly looking knife would slice into his body.
A flurry of activity left her staring dumbstruck and frozen in place, her mind unable to keep up. Several things happened at once—and happened so fast that she saw nothing more than a blur.
Leland leapt to the side to avoid yet another lunge of the knife.
Joe, Joshua, and Thomas leapt forward to help Leland while Graham raced toward her.
The man calling himself Jim spun and charged at the others with a hair-raising growl, waving the knife like the wild man he’d become.
The menacing growls from the others sent chills up and down her spine, but paled in comparison to the icy fear that soon followed.
As Leland and Joe wrestled the other man for the knife, somehow all three of them broke through the fence, and before she could do more than gasp, all three of them fell over the side, and into the ravine.
With her heart in her throat, she stood frozen in disbelief for several heart-stopping seconds before a scream of horror and disbelief broke free.
Joe and Leland had fallen into the ravine, at least twenty feet to the rocks below.
“No!” On legs that shook, she raced toward the edge—but was yanked back before she could reach it. “Leland! Joe! Oh, God. I’ve killed them. Let go of me!”
A strange numbness came over her, her world sent into a chaos she struggled to comprehend.
She wanted to move closer to the edge, and fought to get her legs to obey her. Stilling at the sounds of someone making their way up the embankment, she froze. Holding her breath, she watched a man with long, dark hair appear, a sob escaping when she recognized Joshua.
Graham’s grip tightened, both preventing her from moving forward and holding her upright. “No. Glenna, you need to stay here. They’ll be okay.”
Hearing the tension in his voice, she turned to look at him, the anguish on his face blurring as tears filled her eyes. “Oh, God. This isn’t happening. I need to go to them. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have talked all of you into helping me.” Pushing out of his hold with a burst of strength she didn’t know she possessed, she gasped and crumbled to the ground when her knees gave way completely.
Cursing, she struggled to her feet again and started to make her way toward the edge.
She had to get to them. She had to help them, but she couldn’t seem to get her knees to support her.
Oh, God. Please let them be all right.
Shaken by the low voices of the others, she fought off Graham’s hold again, the cold emptiness spreading inside her. “I have to see. I have to help them. Oh, God. I’ll die if I lose them.”
With a sense of unreality, she yanked her arm from Graham’s hold and rushed to the edge, just as Joshua cleared the top, carrying a body over his shoulder.
Joshua was covered in blood.
Grim-faced, he gestured toward Glenna. “Graham, get her back. She doesn’t need to see this.”
“No!” Her choked whisper ended on a sob as struggled against Graham’s hold to see who Joshua carried.
“I swear to God, I’m paddling her ass for this.”
Glenna stilled, wondering if she was just imagining Leland’s voice. Her heart started pounding again, the numbness giving way to a surge of emotion that knocked her feet out from under her. Grateful for Graham’s hold, she looked down, her head spinning dizzily at the sight of Leland and Joe coming up the incline, both carrying their shirts over their shoulders.
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