by Jenny May
Cooper could feel his brow crease. “How are you? Better?”
“A lot.” Rogue nodded. “I needed that. I get too much energy if I don’t burn it. Causes me to worry too much. I think I’ll start running that loop in the morning and at night. It’ll help me adjust.” Rogue glanced up at the picture and gave him a tight smile. “He looks like you, a little.”
Again, Cooper’s eyes went up. “I was just thinking the same thing. Handsome man, if I do say so myself.”
Rogue laughed. “Yes, I have to agree with you.”
“You want some ice cream? I can make you a bowl.” Cooper adjusted the pajama bottoms he wore. Even they were George’s. He felt weird as hell putting them on, but he didn’t want to offend Zara, plus, he didn’t have any clothes.
“No, I’m good.” Rogue pointed at the PJs and Cooper shrugged.
“I think we should go into Dark Days tomorrow and get our stuff.”
Rogue nodded. “Sounds like an excellent plan. I’d like Zara to meet Logan, too. I think it’ll do her good to get out and socialize. Damien should actually be in town. I need to call him. He’s supposed to be finalizing the paperwork on the ranch he sold. I’d like to see him, too.”
“Sounds great. We can pick up our vehicles. I’d like to have my truck here.”
“Yeah. It’ll probably take a trip or two. I have a few vehicles, plus my bike, that I’m going to have to bring over. Not including a house full of crap. I have no idea where everything is going to go.” Rogue looked around. “Maybe I’ll just sell it. Or put it in the barn. Hell, I don’t know.”
“Let’s take one day at a time.” Cooper smiled at him. “My apartment is pretty packed, too. I think we should just store it in the barn until we can decide what goes where.”
Rogue nodded, and Cooper could feel his stress already starting to build. He had so much on his shoulders, and this was just the beginning. How would he fare in a few days when they had dinner with Zara’s father? The more he thought about it, the more he wasn’t sure he thought it was a good idea.
Chapter 9
“Brother! Holy shit. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Damien looked over to Logan, his eyes huge. “Do you see him? Logan, who is this man before us? Wait, wait…you know who he looks like. Damn, what’s his name? Georgie loves him. Oh! Gerard Butler. That’s who. Same hair and everything.”
“Who?” Rogue looked at him, confused.
“Yes!” Georgina said, eagerly. “Zara, tell me you’ve seen 300? Oh my god, if you haven’t, I’m sending over my DVD for you to watch.”
Damien’s eyes cut to Georgie’s and she smiled and lowered her head. Rogue almost laughed. She was so getting it when they got home. Damien was all the master he was, and he knew that look all too well. It didn’t matter though, from the looks Georgina was giving, she was trying to get a rise out of him on purpose.
Zara shook her head. “I don’t think I have. But I definitely want to see if he looks like Rogue.”
“You’re going to love it,” Georgina whispered. “Love, Zara. With a capital L.”
“Doll.”
“Yes, Damien?” Her eyes flashed up to him, and pink tinted her cheeks. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“Restroom. Now.”
Georgina’s eyes flashed to the office at Dark Days. “Right now?”
“Do I have to say it again?”
Georgina was gone in a flash. Damien winked at Zara and smiled. “Please excuse me for a moment. Continue on.”
Zara looked down and smiled. Her cheeks were as red as Georgina’s had been. Her eyes flashed up to Rogue’s and he couldn’t help his breath catching at the want he saw behind them. She was actually turned on by Damien taking Georgina in there for a spanking. Hmm. He’d remember that.
A laugh came from Logan and he pushed his hands in his pockets. “So tell me what’s going on with you three. You all appear to be taking to the mating pretty good.”
“It’s coming along. We’re actually here to move over mine and Cooper’s things to Zara’s. Not sure where we’re going to fit everything, but we’ll make do. Probably going to keep some stuff, sell others.”
Logan put up his hand. “If you’re thinking of selling the V-Rod, I want it. First dibs.”
“You want to buy my bike? I had it custom made for me.”
“Name your price.” Logan was dead serious, but he had to laugh.
“I’m not selling the V. No way, no how.” He’d put so much money into that bike, it was ridiculous. It could smoke any racing bike he came across. Not to mention a hell of a lot of cars.
“Dammit. If you change your mind, I still get it first.” He paused. “What about the ’stang?”
Rogue shook his head. “You’re killing me, man. My fastback? You’ve done lost your mind.”
A growl came from his mouth. “I really need to get me a project car. Marley says I don’t spend enough time with her as it is. No way she’s gonna want me working outside, building one, the way I want it. I’d be out there forever. Maybe I can get Damien to sell me the M3.”
“Yeah, right.” Rogue shook his head. “I’ll tell you what. I have a car you’ve never seen before. I keep her in the garage. Only driven her twice. I’ll give you a hell of a deal.”
Logan’s eyes got big. “Yeah, what is it?”
A smile came to his face. “I’m not sure you can handle her, Logan. Maybe I should call Myles first and see what she thinks about it.”
“Rogue, come on. Tell me.”
He sighed sarcastically. “Sixty-nine…”
“Yeah…” Logan motioned with his hand. “Come on…”
“Z—
“Twenty-eight!” Logan’s mouth dropped open. “No way. You’re freaking lying to me. You do not have that car.”
He tried not to laugh as he watched his former alpha try to contain his excitement. “Actually, I do. Completely blacked out. Sweet ride.”
“If you’re bullshitting me, I’m going to kick your ass. Hold on.” Logan took out his phone. “Ty, Rogue says he has a Z-28 Camaro. Yeah. It’s a sixty-nine.” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I said!” He paused. “You want it? I’ll fucking get it right now. Right. No, no. Don’t tell Myles yet. Ty!” Logan twisted his mouth and looked at them. “He’s asking Myles if it’s okay.”
Rogue couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing at the pout on Logan’s face. Suddenly, the cowboy stood taller. “She said that? Oh.” His face fell. “Well, tell her I get it on Mondays, Wednesdays…No, dammit. I want it on Fridays.” He groaned. “Fine, love y’all, too.” Logan hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. “Myles says I can get it, but it’ll be hers. I can only drive it on certain days. What the hell? That woman, I swear. She’s going to be the death of me. Did you know she cut down my caffeine intake? Again! Says I’m too wired. As if. A man needs to be alert. Especially me.”
“You didn’t listen to her today, did you?” Rogue raised an eyebrow at him. His former alpha did seem a little hyper.
“Shit, can you tell?”
Zara put up her fingers. “Just a little. It’s not too bad.”
“Good. If she knew I had four cups of coffee, she’d kill me. I just wasn’t thinking. I had a lot of paperwork to do.” Logan ran his hands through his dark hair, and his head jerked to the side. They all looked toward the entrance of the ranch not seeing anything. “Shit,” Logan whispered. “Not a word,” he snapped.
Myles’s car came into view and Zara covered her mouth. She eased over to Rogue’s side like it was the most natural thing in the world. A sense of pride went through him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The warmth from her body perforated through his side.
“You didn’t know she was on her way here, did you?” Zara asked Logan.
His eyes looked at over at her, but he focused back on the road. “Hell no. I never would have even made the damn coffee had I known that. She never comes to the ranch. I thought I was good.”
Rogue looked down towa
rd Zara. He could pick up on his mate’s nervousness. With both women being alphas, he knew their wolves were going to test each other. Whose would actually be stronger had him a little concerned. Women were different than men. Their wolves were, well, nothing short of evil and vindictive. It wasn’t their fault. The beast within made the rules for their personality. If they didn’t like each other, all hell was going to break loose. The fact that they grew up rivals didn’t make it any better, regardless if they still were or not.
Zara’s arm tightened around his waist and she looked toward Cooper. He automatically moved in beside her. This wasn’t her territory. And Rogue could tell she knew it.
“You have nothing to fear or be threatened by, Zara.” Logan looked at her and gave a tender smile. “I’m sure Myles is just here to say hello and meet you. She happens to be pretty close to your mates.”
“I’m good. I can understand why she’d want to be here.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile.
The white Audi came to a stop a few feet away and Myles and Ty got out of the car. Myles’s dark, curly hair bobbed around her face. The short length had actually made it down to her chin now. She walked over, hugging Logan. The smile she wore fell and she stepped back. “You’ve been drinking coffee” She sniffed. “A lot of it.”
“Myles, this is Zara, Rogue and Cooper’s new mate.” Her eyebrow rose at him, but when she turned toward them, she was all smiles.
“Zara, it’s nice to officially meet you. Wow, your hair is an amazing color.”
“Thanks. I love your curls.” His mate’s nervousness vanished. As she began to talk to Myles, Rogue’s attention went to Damien and Georgina coming from the office’s main entrance. His brother’s mate’s cheeks were flushed and her head was down. But a smile was on her face. The moment Myles caught sight of her long-time friend, she grabbed Zara’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the building. Myles looped her arm around Georgina’s and pulled the girls inside.
“Okay, let’s get down to business,” Logan said. “What the hell is going on with Nikolas, Rogue? You mentioned you’re having dinner with him on Saturday. Does Zara know everything that’s going on? Do you all have a plan? What’s the deal?”
Rogue laughed. “One question at a time. Yes, Zara knows. She’s made it clear that if her father is responsible for what he’s been accused of, she wants me to take his spot. The brothers even mentioned seeing evidence of him smuggling guns. Only thing that worries me is the people he’s in with. How are they going to feel about their connection being taken out? This shit goes pretty deep. Yeah, I’m sure I can take out the alpha, but if we’re talking cartel,” Rogue shook his head, “we’re speaking about Mexico. That’s uncharted territory for any of us. Lord knows what we’ll be up against.”
“It has to be done,” Damien whispered. Men walked by and they got quiet until they passed. “Nikolas can’t continue. I’ve had a meeting with McCullen last week. I’ve seen the evidence. The children. It’s not right. He has to be taken down.”
Logan nodded. “He’s right. We’re just going to have to take our chances. The cartel will always find someone new. Let’s just take one step at a time. First one being, Nikolas.” A smile came to the alpha’s face. “You know, that’s not necessarily true about none of us knowing about the ways of Mexico. Jack tells me The Guardians handle the really intense shit. They’re a pack of almost nothing but elite wolves. They go undercover, deep. You couldn’t imagine the stories he’s told me.”
“I’ve heard a few.” Rogue nodded. “They’re badass. We almost went there, but decided against it. There’s no getting out once you’re brought in. My brothers and I didn’t like that idea. Almost no one knows anything about them. We weren’t about to take that chance, were we, Damien?”
“Hell no. I’m glad we didn’t go. I wouldn’t have Austin or Georgie if that was the case.”
Rogue nodded. He was glad they didn’t go, either. He didn’t really know his mates very well, but he wanted to. More than anything. The run at sunrise had really helped with his already racing mind, and he was glad he had an outlet against the worries he was suddenly plagued with.
“Well, I know you all need to get going. I hate that I’m losing my best men, but it’s for all of us. We take care of each other. The more ground and wolves we have to do that with, the better. Let’s go get the girls. You all need to pack, and I want to see my new car.”
“Myles’s new car,” Rogue corrected.
Logan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll be there soon enough, Rogue. Once you are, you won’t be laughing at me, anymore.”
Would he? Rogue wasn’t so sure. Logan wasn’t like him or his brother. Yes, he was alpha, but his wolf didn’t thrive on dominating like theirs did. Logan had been human before his transition over into their life. Whether that had anything to do with it or not was beyond him, but it could.
The girls came out and they were all holding sodas. Logan growled at his mate. “Dangit, Myles. Tell me how it’s fair that you get caffeine when I don’t?”
She shrugged. “I don’t get spastic like you. Plus, I don’t feel the need to down one after another. Moderation, my love. When you can get it down, you can go back to drinking as much as you want.”
“Really?” A smile came to his face and he walked over, pulling her into his arms. Rogue turned to Zara. “You ready? We have a lot to do ahead of us.” She nodded and Rogue led her to the truck. He waved toward the men. “See you all later. Logan, I’ll leave the car in the garage for you. Key’s in the ignition. Slide over what you think the car is worth into my account.”
“Whoa.” His old alpha shook his head. “That’s a dangerous thing to say, Rogue.”
“I trust you.”
Zara jumped in the truck with him and Cooper headed to his already packed-up truck to follow. As they left Dark Days, he wasn’t looking forward to leaving. There was something about the land that put him at ease. It was his home. Now, he was going to have to start fresh somewhere else. He looked down at Zara’s hand holding his. The move was well worth it.
Chapter 10
The days had gone by like a dream. Everything quickly turned into routine, and she couldn’t get over how happy she was with her men. They were always surprising her with things. Cooper was constantly helping her around the house, and the stolen kisses from Rogue out of nowhere warmed her heart and got her beyond excited. She was definitely getting used to her new life. And she loved it. But what she was doing now, she wasn’t quite enjoying at all.
The heel twisted and Zara almost fell to the ground. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn these damn things. Rogue caught her and pulled her back, upright. “Thanks.” She smoothed down the knee-length black dress and made her way to the front of the mirror in her room like she’d originally intended.
The person who reflected back was someone Zara hadn’t seen for a while. She’d almost forgotten how pretty she looked with makeup on. The loose curls hanging down her back from the rollers set the outfit off beautifully. She couldn’t believe how good she looked.
Her eyes went to her mates. They’d yet to bond. Without all three of their bites marking at the same time, it wouldn’t go through completely. Oddly enough, her heart was aching at the fact that she didn’t have them both tied to her. The link was the key ingredient to making her heal fully, and although it hurt to move on from George, she knew deep down that this is what he would have wanted. Cooper and Rogue made her happy. If only Rogue would come to them and complete the link that would forever tie them. The days were full of heavy petting, but no lovemaking from him.
A dark suit covered Rogue’s body. When he’d started putting it on, Zara about had a heart attack. She hadn’t been prepared by how powerful he looked. Her father was expecting some rough-looking cowboy. Rogue was anything but. Not anymore, anyway. Cowboy during the day, yes, but right now, he was all business. And Nikolas was surely going to pick up on that. If her father was anything, it was sharp. There wasn’t
much of anything that got by him.
Cooper finished tying his shoe and stood from the bed. Both of the men’s suits looked custom made. They fit their bodies perfectly. When she’d asked Cooper where he got the suit, he smiled, and replied, “A man’s always got a have a nice piece, Zara.” Well, that still didn’t explain anything, but she just went with it. Whatever, her dad was going to shit when he saw who she was going to be walking in with. Her men were the epitome of powerful mates, and she loved it.
“We’ve got to go if we’re going to make it on time.” Rogue looked down at the expensive watch on his wrist. Her mouth twisted.
“Can we just stay here and you can ravage me and Cooper, instead? I’m dreading this.”
The side of his mouth lifted into a delicious dark smile. “My cock will be pounding your pussy before you know it, darlin’. Patience.”
She groaned. “What’s that? I have none. I want you to fuck me now. Right this minute.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Are you demanding me?” He walked closer. “You know better than that.” Rogue pulled open the top drawer and grabbed something. Zara craned her neck to see around him. “Bend over the bed,” he ordered.
“What?”
Rogue turned around and walked quickly toward her. His arm scooped around her waist and he tossed her on the bed, immediately flipping her to her stomach. The dress was pulled up so fast that she felt herself gasp.
“You’re going to learn that when I tell you something, you do it immediately. And never make demands of me. Now look forward, and if you turn around, you’re going to wish you didn’t.”
Without thought she looked back at him. Her ass lit on fire from the spanking. She sucked in air and looked at Cooper, who’d walked over into her view. A small smile came to his face, but the thoughts behind that expression were anything but happy. They held naughty thoughts. Zara immediately wanted to turn around to see what he knew was coming.
