by Roxie Noir
Olivia ignored everything, slipping her arms into the shirt she’d been given and pulling it around her. Finally, she looked back at Jasper and Craig. Craig was only wearing a white undershirt.
“Thanks,” she said, simply. The arms came far down past her hands, but the front of the shirt went almost to her knees. Good enough.
At the back of the restaurant, she could see a fat human in chef’s white standing, looking out over the dining room, his face turning a furious shade of purple.
Jasper grabbed her hand.
“We should go,” he said. “We’ll deal with this later, but first things first.”
Olivia took one look at the man and followed the two of them out of the restaurant.
“Hey!” she heard a man’s voice shouting behind her. “HEYYY!”
They booked it to their waiting car.
For an hour, Olivia sat in the back of their car as Jasper held her close while Craig drove around. At first, she’d been worried that either the police or animal control was after her, but the sirens never materialized.
Even so, the awful scene played in her head, non-stop: the wolves attacking, her spinning around, clawing them open. If it wasn’t that, it was the scene she’d just caused in the restaurant: the horrible feeling of her bear being totally out of control, the screaming patrons, the way that everyone had looked at her like she was an animal.
Olivia hadn’t meant to kill anyone. She hadn’t meant to shift. It had just happened.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Jasper whispered into her hair, over and over again. Olivia stayed silent for a long time, trying to process everything.
Now, she was almost certainly going to get locked up somewhere. She’d shifted in a restaurant, for the love of God, and you couldn’t just do that. Besides, given her reputation, it was unlikely that anyone would believe her account over Buck — though his pack had certainly been willing to take her side into consideration.
“Do you want us to take you home?” Craig asked from the front seat.
“No,” said Olivia, snuggling further into Jasper’s solid, comforting warmth. “I can’t face my mom right now.”
“Do you want to come back to our place?” Jasper asked.
Olivia nodded. She knew that usually, that question had sexy overtones, but she was totally certain that she’d ruined any chance she had of getting it on with these two.
I should have been more persuasive that night in my backyard, she thought. Turns out that was my only chance. They’re only taking me home because they feel sorry for me now, for sure.
Suddenly, bright lights flooded through the car and it came to a stop. Olivia sat up, feeling panicked, and looked around for the cop cars.
“I’m just picking up dinner,” Craig said. “Aren’t you hungry?”
Olivia’s stomach growled, as if responding to him, and for the first time since they’d left the French restaurant, she smiled.
“I guess,” she said.
When they got to Craig and Jasper’s house, the moment Olivia got inside, a wagging black shape made a beeline for her.
She panicked for a millisecond, her nerves still on edge, then realized: it was a dog.
“That’s Ninety Nine,” Craig said. “You can just call her Ninety.”
Ninety sniffed Olivia, nudging her face underneath Olivia’s hands like crazy, wagging her tail and licking her hands.
“She likes you,” Craig said.
“I smell like barbecue,” Olivia said.
“She doesn’t like barbecue that much,” Jasper observed.
The three of them didn’t even bother to sit at the table. Instead they stood around the island in the kitchen, eating barbecue ribs with their hands, smearing the sauce all over their faces.
“These are amazing,” Olivia said between mouthfuls. “What is this place?”
“Benny’s Barbecue,” Craig said. He chewed and swallowed. “Weird little coyote-run place up in a holler. It’s out of the way, so we almost never go there, but since I was driving around aimlessly tonight I figured I’d go there.”
Olivia ripped the meat from another bone with her teeth, feeling half-feral but wonderful.
This isn’t sexy at all, she thought. I’ve already ruined my chances, though, so why bother eating politely?
When she finished, she made a half-hearted attempt at wiping her hands and face with a paper napkin, but it just tore, leaving bits of paper on her skin.
“You can use our shower if you want,” Jasper offered.
Olivia raised her eyebrows.
“You probably want to shower after today anyway,” said Craig. “It’s upstairs. Here, I’ll show you.
He led her up the stairs and into the master bedroom. The whole house, bedroom included, was decorated in what Olivia thought of as Grizzly Shifter Lite. There was just enough bare wood around to suggest a cabin in the woods, but not so much that it was overwhelming, like Cora’s place could be.
Not that Olivia would ever tell Cora that. Particularly while she was pregnant.
In the middle of the bedroom was a truly massive bed, covered in a plush-looking comforter.
They have a bed built for three, Olivia realized. Suddenly, a pang of guilt shot through her. There was no way she could be in a triad, no way she was meant to be anyone’s mate.
She’d tried to be normal, and she’d failed. It didn’t matter what she wanted, because she knew as well as anyone that most former ferals ended up living alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, mateless.
I should let them find someone else, she thought, looking at Craig, opening the door to the master bathroom.
I’m sorry, she thought, appreciating his form even as she thought it.
“Shower’s in here,” he said. “Fresh towels in that cabinet. Soap and shampoo and stuff should be pretty self-explanatory, I think. The shower just works like a shower. Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks,” said Olivia, as Craig left, closing the bedroom door behind him.
She took a long, hot shower, letting the water wash over her until it started running lukewarm. She washed her hair once and scrubbed her body hard, afraid that she still smelled like a combination of bear and barbecue.
Why does it matter? She asked. You’re sleeping on their couch and then you’re going home in the morning, because they don’t deserve to have to deal with trouble like you.
She shut the water off and then wrapped herself in an enormous, fluffy bath towel, resisting the urge to shake herself dry. The thing went all the way around her nearly twice.
Finally clean, she padded back into the bedroom to find a pair of boxer shorts and a soft, old t-shirt that said Vote Sargent 2006! On it. She put them on and ran one hand over the fluffy comforter, feeling her hand sink into its soft surface as she did.
Suddenly, she was dead tired.
Just for a moment, she thought. You can’t just sleep in their bed, but you can lie down for a minute.
I mean, you used their shower and you’re wearing their clothes.
Olivia crawled onto the enormous bed, her weight sinking down into the comforter, and she lay there for a minute.
I should get back up, she thought.
Within moments, she was fast asleep.
10
Jasper
When Craig came out of the bedroom, Jasper was already setting the thick white candles around the living room, across the coffee table, in front of the fireplace, all over the end tables. Ninety laid on the living room floor, watching.
“It’s going to look like a Meatloaf video,” Craig said, hands on his hips.
“She deserves it,” said Jasper, lighting a tall pillar.
For once, Craig didn’t argue. He just reached for a pack of matches and started lighting candles himself.
“What if she doesn’t like it?” he asked. Craig sounded uncharacteristically uncertain, like for once, he needed his mate’s reassurance.
“Then she doesn’t like it,” Jasper responded. �
��We try something else.”
“What if it’s us she doesn’t like, though?”
Jasper just stared into the candle flame. He’d had the exact same thought, that maybe being feral for so long had affected Olivia to the point where she didn’t want mates.
He put the candle down and picked up another one.
“Then she doesn’t like us, and life goes on the way it has,” he said, firmly. “Then we just don’t get a third.”
They finished lighting the candles and both collapsed on the couch, watching the tiny flames.
“It’s not so bad with just the two of us,” Jasper said.
Craig took Jasper’s hand in his, lacing their fingers together.
“Don’t give up just yet,” he said. “We’ve been looking for her for years, and now she’s in our shower. The hard part is over, remember?”
Jasper squeezed Craig’s hand, trying not to think of Olivia in the shower, the steam rising up as the hot water cascaded over her luscious curves.
“But if she doesn’t want us, it’s over for good,” he said. “No more searching and finding. It’s just over.”
“You know she wants us,” said Craig. “She was ready last night.”
“I couldn’t,” said Jasper. “Not like that, I wanted to give her romance and candles and chocolates and all that.”
“I didn’t get any of that.”
Jasper looked over at him.
“I didn’t want any of that,” Craig clarified. “But we met and half an hour later, if I remember correctly, we were rubbing naked cocks together in the back of a state-owned SUV. And, frankly, I think we’re fine.”
Jasper grinned at the memory. Aside from his father’s aide finding them, it was a wonderful memory.
He felt his cock stiffen, just a little.
“True,” said Jasper. “I just... she was feral, you know? She seems more delicate.”
“I think she can take care of herself just fine,” Craig said, seriously. “She just faced down the guy who locked her up and told him off in front of his wolf crew. I bet she could handle a little sex.”
“You’re right,” said Jasper. He looked around at the candles.
“They’re nice, though.”
For a few more moments, they watched the candle flames flicker. Jasper checked his watch.
“She drown or something?” he asked.
Craig stood from the couch, went up the stairs, and knocked on the bedroom door. No answer. He exchanged a worried look with Jasper — Had she drowned? — And then opened the door.
When he turned back to Jasper, there was a grin on his face.
“Dead asleep,” he said.
Jasper was mostly relieved and a tiny bit disappointed. She hadn’t drowned or run away. She was sleeping in their bed, probably because she’d had a crazy day and she was tired.
He stretched his arms and yawned, grinning up at his mate who came around the back of the couch and put his arms over Jasper’s shoulders.
“You sleepy?” Craig asked.
“Very,” said Jasper.
In the bedroom, Jasper lifted Olivia off the bed, holding her almost like a baby, as Craig turned down the blankets, then placed her gently in the middle. She barely stirred, and only then to snuggle further into the mattress.
Jasper walked around the bed and put his arms around Craig from the back, both of them watching Olivia sleep.
“Is it weird to get in bed with her?” he asked.
“I’m not sleeping on the couch,” Craig said. “She’s the one who fell asleep in our bed.”
Jasper swallowed, trying to fight down his erection, even as Craig pressed himself back against it.
Then he walked to a dresser and took out two pairs of pajama pants, tossing one to Craig.
“She’s already seen us naked,” Craig pointed out.
“Just for propriety’s sake,” Jasper said, stripping his clothes off and putting the pants on himself.
Olivia rolled over in her sleep and sighed, but didn’t wake up, and Craig walked back to Jasper, a light in his eyes.
“You just wait,” he whispered. “She’s gonna be a wildcat once she wakes up, and you’re going to wonder why you were so careful with her.”
Jasper grinned.
“You mean a wild bear?” he asked.
11
Olivia
Olivia jerked awake suddenly, just as the wolf teeth snapped closed around her ankle. Her eyes shot open and she didn’t recognize anything around her: the huge bed, the bookshelf in the corner, or the view from the bedroom window.
Her eyes focused a little more on the lump in front of her, and slowly, she realized it was a person with brown hair and a reddish beard.
Craig.
The previous night came rushing back to her: the restaurant, the shifting, Buck, the barbecue, and finally, collapsing on the bed “just for a minute.”
A thick, strong arm snaked around her from behind and pulled her against a big, warm body.
Jasper.
She could feel his erection against her lower back, and even though she’d just woken up, something stirred inside Olivia. Her body responded to these men in a way she’d never dreamed possible, like she was made of dry kindling and they were matches.
You’re not what they need, she thought, but she was already pressing herself backward against Jasper, biting her lip as she watched Craig, his perfect, sculpted shoulders rising and falling as he slept.
You could still have some fun, though, she thought. Before they find the right girl.
Slowly, gently, she lifted the heavy comforter to get a better look at Craig. She could tell that Jasper wasn’t naked, and as she lifted the blankets, she quickly found out that Craig wasn’t either.
He did have a hell of an erection, though, and just looking at it made her ache. Olivia squeezed her thighs together, hoping that would quell her hunger, but it just made it worse.
Well, it’s been ten years since you got any action at all, she thought to herself. And fooling around with Tommy Parker once at the only party you ever went to in high school wasn’t exactly a satisfying experience.
She could only imagine the satisfying experience that Craig could give her, but something made her hesitate.
I already slept in their bed without asking, she thought. Peeping at him is just rude.
Sighing mentally, she put the comforter back down and brought her eyes back up.
Craig was awake. Olivia froze, even as she felt caught by his gaze. She held her breath.
Great job checking out someone’s dick while they were asleep, you lunatic weirdo! She thought.
“Good morning,” Craig said. A grin crept onto his face.
“Good morning,” said Olivia. She was still more or less trapped between the two of them, Jasper’s right arm thrown over her and holding her tight.
“Hi,” murmured Jasper behind her. His erection shifted against her back, and Olivia had to close her eyes as the heat rushed to her face.
“Checking out the goods?” Craig asked her, a teasing smile on his sideways face.
Olivia opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
“I was just seeing if you were wearing pants,” she said. Technically, that was true.
She’d checked, after all. It was afterwards that she’d stared.
“I am, but they’re the removable kind,” Craig said.
“Don’t tease her, she just woke up,” Jasper mumbled from behind her head, burying his face in her hair. “Craig’s the rise-and-shine type. Don’t worry about him.”
“She wasn’t worrying, just curious,” Craig said. He put one hand on her hip and pulled her closer until she was inches from his face.
Please, god, don’t let my breath smell terrible, she thought. Her brain was fogged with sleep and lust, but she was almost certain that Craig and Jasper wanted her.
“Got any more questions? Craig asked.
“Are you this friendly to all the strange girls who fal
l asleep in your bed?”
“Sure,” he said, grinning. “One hundred percent of them, so far.”
He pushed himself against her, his erection rubbing against her mound, nothing but pajama pants and her thin boxers separating them.
Olivia bit her lip and closed her eyes as pure want flooded through her senses. She was breathing hard and could easily smell the sharp musk of her own arousal, so she was positive that Craig and Jasper could feel it too.
Before she could figure out what to do, she felt lips on her neck, then the slight pull of teeth against her skin. A shiver ran through her, and Olivia’s eyes slid closed.
The next thing she knew, Craig’s mouth was on hers, his beard tickling her chin, and in moments his tongue was in her mouth, locking together with hers.
She was sandwiched between them, and finally, Olivia was pretty sure about what was happening. She moved her hands around Craig’s waist, finally feeling the hard ripple of his muscles there, letting her fingers trace over the ridges and valleys.
Then she felt a hand on her wrist, moving it down, until suddenly her hand was wrapped around his thick cock, grasping it through the soft fabric of Craig’s pajama pants. He made a long, low groan deep in his chest and pressed even harder against her.
For a moment, Olivia panicked, thinking I don’t know what to do! But then instinct took over and she stroked his long, thick erection from root to tip and he moved his hips against hers. His hand traveled over her hips and found Jasper’s cock behind her, trapping the three of them together tightly.
Jasper growled into the back of her next, and Craig’s eyes sparkled. Someone’s fingers found her hard nipples and stroked them through the thin t-shirt she wore.
“Oh, shit,” Olivia said, closing her eyes. Her hips started moving by themselves, pressing her first against one hard erection and then against the other, and she put her other hand around Craig’s cock as well.
