by Jane Jamison
“We’d better hope she doesn’t,” added Billy. “Besides, we’re wolves, not dogs.”
“Canines then. As far as most humans are concerned, we’re basically the same as dogs.”
Scott shot them both a hard look. “Who the fuck cares? All I care about is telling her that she’s our mate. I’ve been itching to get between her legs for long enough.”
“Agreed. And it’s about time we do that,” added Billy. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what Foster would say.
“So you two are still in favor of dragging her by the hair back to the ranch?”
Shit. This again. “We’re not cavemen, damn it. Stop trying to make us out to be animals.” Sure, they had their inner animals, but that didn’t mean they’d act like beasts. They’d claim their mate and give her the best life they could. What more could a woman want?
“We’re alphas, Foster. As such, we need to stop acting like pussies and claim our mate.”
Scott was right as far as Billy was concerned. Yet they’d let Foster talk them into waiting instead of telling her the first day they’d met her. “To get to know her,” he’d said.
What a crock of shit.
Foster echoed his thoughts. “We’re alphas, yes, but we’re not fucking animals. We don’t manhandle her, and we don’t force her. Instead, we give her the chance to warm up to us. Once she does, she’ll be happy to be our mate.”
Billy had his doubts. From everything he’d heard about town and the conversations they’d had with her, she was one of those women who didn’t like being controlled. She was a brave, strong woman who had the guts to move to Fate and open up a business all on her own.
Damn, I hope she’s not one of those feminist females.
“Take it easy, Billy. We’ll get what’s ours soon enough.”
He nodded, although he didn’t really agree. Still, with Foster being one of the primary alphas in the Shadow Ridge Pack, he and Scott were obligated to follow his lead.
He hated being a secondary alpha, but as a human who’d been changed by a werewolf instead of being born into the pack, he had a tougher time rising in the ranks. Scott, as a member of the pack from birth, was a primary alpha like Foster, but he was more laid-back, willing to go along and let Foster take the lead. Sometimes Billy wondered if Scott even wanted to be an alpha. He seemed more suited to being secondary alpha or even an omega, the lowest rank of the pack. Not that he’d ever say so to Scott. If he did, his friend would lay into him faster than bees into a honey-stealing bear.
Scott, however, agreed with him about Betsy. Women were put on this earth to be their mates. As such, they were to be claimed as soon as her werewolf mates were ready to take her. He’d never force a woman—not if she said no—but he’d damn sure do his best to make her understand that he and his partners were her superiors. She’d take care of the house and raise their babies. That was the way it had always been and that was the way it was going to stay.
Foster, however, saw it differently. He rarely pulled rank, but he had when he’d decided to take their time with Betsy. But enough was enough.
“I say we make our move. Now. Today.” He’d started ahead but held up when Foster’s hand slammed against his chest.
“We wait.”
“Come on, man. This is getting ridiculous.”
“Yeah, Foster. Billy’s right. What’s the point of waiting another day? Hell, it’s almost like you don’t want her.”
Foster didn’t let his wolf take over often, especially not in the middle of town, but as he confronted them, his eyes blazed with heated amber. “Don’t be stupid. I want her as much as you do. That’s why we have to do this the right way.”
“She’s going to think we’re weak if we don’t make a move on her soon,” muttered Scott.
“No, she won’t.” Foster’s eyes returned to their normal color. “She’s a strong woman. A brave woman. Because she’s a tough woman, she’s going to need strong mates. Not just men who can physically dominate her, but men who can help her realize that she wants to be their mate.”
“So we’re going to wait until we know she’s interested? You’ve got to know she is. Hell, can’t you smell her sweet scent every time we talk to her? What does she have to do? Get down on her hands and knees and whine?” asked Scott.
Foster chuckled. “I’d be either stupid or not paying attention if I hadn’t noticed. I’ve seen how she looks at us and how her pupils dilate. Glance at her chest and you’ll see her nipples harden through her shirt. Yeah, I know damn well and good she wants us.”
Billy had noticed, too. He’d noticed and had struggled to keep from answering her body’s call to him. “So you’re saying that, just like us, you’re about to go fucking crazy waiting to get your hands on her?”
“Hell yeah I am.” Foster licked his lips. “I want to touch every curve of her. I want to lick her until she screams. But I want her to be wet and ready when I do.”
“I thought you just said she was ready.” Scott shook his head, a deep growl rolling out of him.
Foster’s expression grew more intense. “Don’t you two get it? She’s special, different. This isn’t a simple matter of telling our mate we want her. This is our one and only chance to make sure we don’t fuck it up. She came to Fate for a reason, and I’m betting it had something to do with the relationships she’s had in the past. Maybe they sucked and hurt her. Or maybe she didn’t have any men at all. According to a lot of people, men included, she’s not sexy.”
“Yeah, well, most men are idiots.”
Billy nodded, agreeing with Scott.
“Look, guys, I don’t know which it is, but I’m not about to jump cock-first at her and screw it up before we’ve even had a chance to get it right.”
“Fine. We’ll wait a little longer.” Billy adjusted his growing package. Even thinking about her made him hard. “There are just so many times I can jerk off in the shower before my fucking hand falls off.”
Thinking about her luscious body, so fluffy, so round, made his mouth water. Others might call her fat and think she wasn’t hot, but she was the perfect size for his large hands. Her breasts were big, and he could already sense how heavy they’d feel. Her oval face was like an angel’s, an angel who’d put her mouth around his cock and take him to heaven. He ached to push his fingers through her hair while his other fingers made their way between her pussy folds.
“Damn straight. A man can only abstain for so long.” The muscle in Scott’s jaw twitched. He was having as hard a time holding back, just like Billy was.
They’d stopped whoring around a few months before Betsy had come to town. Maybe they’d gotten tired of the whole one-night thing. Or maybe their inner wolves had sensed her coming. Who knew? Love was a mysterious thing he’d never understand.
But he knew one thing. He had to give up the argument. For now. Until Foster gave them the go-ahead, he’d hang back. He may have lost the battle, but he was determined to win the war.
* * * *
“Hey, girl.” Betsy opened the door of Classy Cat for Heather and studied the paintings her friend had brought. Using Heather’s art to decorate the walls of the store would help both of them. She wouldn’t have to use precious dollars of her squeezed-until-it-squealed budget to splurge on pretty things for her store, and Heather would gain more local exposure as an artist.
“Hey. Did I just see Raven leaving?”
“Yep. She stopped by to see how things were going.”
“I’m sorry I missed her.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure we’ll all get together real soon.”
“Let’s do that.”
Her friend was doing her best to check out the store without mentioning all the mess. Although she was making progress getting the store ready for the grand opening next week, there were still plenty of boxes and hangers lying around. At least she’d managed to get a few of the light fixtures installed as well as rip down the peeling wallpaper to replace it with fresh wallpaper on one wall
with a new pale blue paint on the other walls. She was proud of what she’d accomplished and wanted Heather and the others to love the store as much as she did. This was her big chance to make her dream come true. If her store failed, she wasn’t sure if she could remain in Fate.
Which, of course, would mean walking away from Billy, Scott, and Foster.
The thought surprised her. They wouldn’t have anything to do with her deciding whether or not she stayed. To let that idea sink in, to have her rely on anything to do with men would be a bad idea. A very bad idea.
“This is really nice of you, Betsy. You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Betsy jerked back to the here and now. “Will you hush? What’s better than having your paintings hanging in my store?” Betsy chose the closest painting and held it up. Heather had captured the water and the shoreline of the nearby Lake Georgia perfectly. Her friend’s skill brought the scene alive with flashes of light cascading over the serene water to a deer drinking at the edge of the lake. “This is Lake Georgia, right?”
“Sure is. I painted it standing on the north shore.”
“It’s really nice. But why didn’t you put price tags on them?” Heather could make some extra money if someone purchased the paintings. A small note detailing the name of the piece and Heather’s name were in the corner of the frame. But the price was nowhere to be seen.
“I didn’t want you to be bothered trying to sell my things. Besides, they’re just for decoration, right?”
“Nothing in my store will ever be only for decoration. You worked hard on these, and you should earn some money. Unless you don’t want to sell them.”
She could understand wanting to hold on to the paintings, but a girl had to make a living. Heather had a great setup for her apartment, but Betsy knew she couldn’t be making a lot of money selling her work online. Then again, maybe she was wrong? The only way to find out would be to ask Heather, and she wasn’t about to be so crass as to ask her how much money she made.
“I can’t afford to keep anything I make. Money can get really tight, and a girl’s got to eat.”
Betsy went back to sorting clothes as Heather took a look around. She could see the yearning on Heather’s face.
“I’m definitely coming back to pick out a few things next week. Some of my things are getting holes in them because I’ve had them so long.”
Betsy hadn’t wanted to say as much, but Heather had just given her an opening. “Well, now that you mentioned it, you could use a little updating of your wardrobe.”
Heather held up a silk blouse. “Okay, then, since you put it that way, I’ll add some price tags. But don’t bother trying to handle the purchase. Just give them my cell phone and I’ll call them back.”
“Sounds good to me.” Betsy was pleased she could help out her friend while getting pretty artwork for her store. “I’ve already put nails where I want them to be hung. Have at it, girl. Let’s get these on the wall before I get clumsy and bump into one.”
“You break it, you buy it.”
“Right back at you.”
Heather grabbed one of the paintings and centered it on the wall. “Are you going to be ready for your opening? I can help out, if you want.”
“And I’ll let you, too. But I think I’m going to be ready to roll. I kind of like doing it all myself, you know. It gives me an even greater feeling of accomplishment.”
“You should be proud.” Heather added another painting to the adjacent wall.
“So how are things going, girl?”
“Fine. I’m getting a lot of work done. And I sold a couple of digital pieces online.”
“I don’t mean just about work. Are you having any fun?” Aside from working at the store, Betsy had the answer to her own question. That would be a big, fat no.
Heather averted her eyes. “I’m having fun right now with you.”
“Oh, horse hockey. You know that’s not what I’m asking.”
Still, Heather kept her gaze away from Betsy’s searching one. “Horse hockey? Wow. You’re really starting to sound like a country girl.”
“Don’t go changing the subject. Is there any news on the Wilson front? Have you finally decided to go after them?” Funny how she kept asking her friends to make a move on the men they liked when she didn’t have the guts to do the same thing. But it was different with her. She had good reasons to shy away from men.
Heather was still playing coy. “You make it sound like I’m a hunter and they’re the prey.”
“Well, would you prefer it to be the other way round? With you as their prey? Because if you do, I’ll bet they’d be happy to help you out. If you want, I could give them a call and let them know. They’d be over here in a heartbeat.” It was crazy. If any of her friends had offered to do the same for her, she would’ve died a painfully embarrassed death. Yet, she’d have no problem sticking her neck out for them.
“Betsy, there’s nothing going on between me and the Wilson men.”
“But you’d sure like there to be, right? Kind of like Raven and the Hardwick men?”
“No comment.”
Betsy didn’t mean to sound harsh, but she couldn’t hold back a derisive snort. “Which means ‘hell, yeah.’”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” Shit. I knew this would happen, and yet I still opened my big mouth.
“I remember hearing something about you and Billy Johnson. That you two were seen getting really chummy on the street the other day. Not to mention when Scott and Foster showed up a few minutes later.”
She wouldn’t have called the chance encounter “chummy.” They could’ve been talking to Miss Charlotte, the elderly lady that Emeline took care of. The weather had been the center of their not-so-exciting conversation. “Hey, don’t you go trying to change the subject.”
“I’ll stop talking about men if you will.”
Betsy was caught. She would’ve loved to find out more about Heather’s love life, but she’d already stepped into dangerous territory. Instead, she backed off. “Well, hell. Okay. But only because I need to get some work done.”
“Fine. Then, unless you want my help, I’ll leave you to it.”
Heather wanted to leave. That much was obvious by her hesitant offer and the way she kept inching toward the door. Talking about their pasts or the men they were interested in was a sure-fire way to get any of the girls off and running. “I’m good. Check with you soon, okay?”
“You bet. Take care.”
Betsy paused, rested her hands on a box of shirts, and watched her friend leave. Heather couldn’t have gotten out of there any faster.
For a moment, she let her imagination take over. What if all of them made their dreams come true? Not only about their work and their new lives in Fate, but with the men they wanted? Raven and the Hardwick men were definitely headed in that direction. Anyone with eyes could see how much they wanted each other. Emeline was smitten with the Mitchell brothers and their cousin Evan Grange. She was certain those men would make a move soon enough. And Heather and the Wilson brothers were perfect for each other.
She sighed and leaned on the box, letting her attention slide to the outside.
If only.
Those have to be the two saddest words in the whole world.
Chapter Two
Foster knew how his friends felt. After all, he felt the same way. He couldn’t wait to tell Betsy how much they wanted her. But he’d be damned if he was going to let his impatient friends fuck things up before they got started.
“We’re starting to look like stalkers.”
“Don’t worry about it, Billy.” Once again, they were watching Betsy’s store, Classy Cat, from across the street.
“Okay, sure. Because you said so, right?”
“Yeah, because I said so.”
Billy’s attitude was starting to wear on him. Other alphas would’ve had it out with him, turning and fighting, but Foster was more of a thinking man than a fighter. No
t that he was afraid of either Billy or Scott. Still, he knew better than to take them both on. He figured they were his equal in strength, but taking on two to his one? That would be foolish. Still, it didn’t mean he’d let them disrespect his rank as a primary alpha.
“I’m not sure how much more of this watching crap I can handle.” Scott turned his back to the store. “Watching from a distance makes it fucking harder.”
Foster squinted his eyes and brought out more of his shifter sight. With some of the butcher-block paper peeling away, he caught glimpses of Betsy. She was busy arranging clothing, often coming back out to her Ford Explorer to pull out more boxes and haul them inside. She was strong, not only in spirit but in physical strength.
“It’s time.” The smile didn’t quite reach his lips as the silence of his two friends washed over him. Finally, he’d said something to shut them up.
“Are you shitting us? Tell us you’re not playing a joke, man. That would be flat-out cruel.”
“Nope. No joke.”
Billy and Scott started to cross the street then realized he wasn’t following them.
“What now?” demanded Billy.
“Just this. You two need to tone down the Neanderthal routine. Don’t come at her too strong. If you do, she’s liable to kick your asses and mine to the curb.”
He’d known Billy wouldn’t take it well, and he’d been right. Scott, on the other hand, was more reasonable.
“Fuck, Foster. What do you want us to do? Pick her flowers and sing love songs?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Of course he didn’t expect them to act like some citified guy on bended knee, but there had to be a compromise between the caveman approach and the other.
Scott tilted his head to the side, asking his unspoken question. Billy’s eyebrow went skyward.
He had to put them out of their misery. “The next time she comes out to her vehicle to get some boxes, we hurry over and give her a hand.”
“And tell her we want to fuck her brains out, right?”
