by Vivian Wood
“She threatened to what… expose your parents?”
“Send them to jail, actually. And she could have done it, easily. She has all the connections.”
“Why didn’t she just ask for money or something? I don’t really understand,” Pax said.
Brooke nodded.
“You don’t know them well. Travis has never heard the word no in his whole life. Anything he wants, he gets. And if he doesn’t get it for himself, Lynne makes it happen for him. He’s like… her only soft spot. Spoiled doesn’t begin to describe him,” Brooke said, curling her lip. “When Lynne dug up all my parents’ secret bank accounts and stuff, I think she realized that she could give Travis what he wanted… me… and also ensure that eventually the money would come to them. I think… I can’t be sure, but I often think she might have been involved in my parents’ deaths.”
Pax scrambled to put things together.
“She thought that if you married Travis, and your parents died…”
“That the money would come to me, yeah.” Brooke huffed a laugh. “She even made me ask my parents for signatory rights for all their accounts, stuff like that. And my parents did it, because I asked. Because they thought that I… approved of what they were doing.”
She shuddered.
“Jesus,” Pax said, awestruck.
“Yeah. All of this… this is why I couldn’t talk to you. If I told you, you’d tell Chase, and then… He wouldn’t just take it lying down. He would have exposed Lynne and Travis. The Marchands have a dozen other sketchy deals going on, too. This is only the tip of the iceberg. They might have killed him, Pax. They might have killed you and me, too. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
Pax deliberated for several long moments before deciding how to reply.
“I understand everything you’ve told me Brooke. I get why you did what you did. I just… I wish you’d trusted me more. Chase and I could have done something to help you, if you’d let us. And you wouldn’t have been required to… date… this monster, the whole time.”
Pax cleared his throat, the idea of Brooke sleeping with Travis making his wolf growl.
“We barely saw each other,” Brooke said. “It was mostly for show. Travis and I haven’t… dated, as you put it, in a really long time. I also don’t think he knew the extent of his mother’s treachery. Not all of it.”
Pax frowned.
“That’s all good and well, but I’m talking about things between you and me, Brooke. We had something special, you know, and you just… you couldn’t trust me to protect you. That’s not how I want things to be with my—” Pax cut himself off, almost flinching when the word mate popped into his head.
“Your what?” Brooke asked, looking up at him. Her eyes were wide, her expression sweet and trusting.
Here was Pax’s chance to pull her back in, if he was willing to take a chance. Lay it all out for her.
“Mate,” he sighed.
To his surprise, Brooke responded with a chuckle.
“Is that like… a werewolf thing?” she asked, looking amused. “I was trying to get you to call me your girlfriend.”
“There’s no half-measures for us, Brooke. Not for werewolves, and not for you and me. We’re either all in, meant for each other, willing to trust and protect each other, or we’re not. The only thing left is for us to decide whether we’re all in or just… done.”
Brooke’s smile faded, and she nodded.
“I get that,” she said. “I’m sorry, I don’t really mean to tease you. And I’m sorry I didn’t put more faith in you, back then. I’ve regretted it every single day since, if that makes a difference.”
“Come here,” Pax said, beckoning.
Brooke stood and came over, sinking onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, and it felt like coming home. This girl, for all her flaws, made him feel so damned good.
“You forgive me?” Brooke asked, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Always,” Pax said. “This doesn’t mean we’re fixed, but… at least I understand now. I guess we both need some time to sort out our thoughts.”
“You think there’ll still be a we when you’re done thinking?” Brooke asked, her expression sincere.
“I don’t know,” Pax admitted. “I hope so.”
Brooke nodded, but didn’t push him further.
They sat like that for a long time, not talking. The sun set as Pax rocked them both, savoring her closeness. Brooke relaxed in his arms, growing sleepy. Pax felt a different kind of tension, his wolf desperate to touch her, taste her, but tonight wasn’t the night for it. Right now, he just wanted to breathe in her scent, feel her warm body in his arms.
“Would it be okay if we slept together?” Brooke asked. Then, quickly, “I mean like, just sleep. I feel so tired, Pax.”
A laugh rumbled in his chest as Pax scooped her up and stood.
“You’re the boss,” he said, carrying Brooke into his cabin and depositing her on his bed.
Brooke watched him quietly as he undressed her, then himself. He turned off the light and climbed into bed with her, pulled her to his side, and stroked her hair until she fell asleep. Pax followed her soon after, lulled by the rhythmic sound of her soft breathing.
He hadn’t felt this kind of peace in… well, since the day she’d left him.
A guy could get used to this, was his last waking thought.
Chapter Six
“This is not going as I planned,” Chase said, snatching a shot of whisky from Brooke’s fingers. He tossed the shot back, then slammed it on the wood bar top and gave Brooke a warning look. “Stop drinking.”
“I’m fine,” Brooke said. She glanced around the dark, smoky bar and sighed, wishing she hadn’t let Chase drag her out just days after her big breakup. Especially since she’d pounded a few shots, said something a little snarky to Pax, and now he was across the bar flirting with some skanky no-name blonde.
Men are the worst.
She almost couldn’t blame the other woman; Pax was looking too damn hot for his own good in low-slung dark jeans and a navy t-shirt that clung to him in all the naughtiest places. Worse, every time he caught Brooke looking, he gave her this look, this cocky expression that said I know you want me.
And she did. Of course she did, so much.
She tugged at the hem of her red leather mini dress and shuffled her feet, making a face at the way her black patent leather heels pinched her feet. She wasn’t used to dressing like a party girl anymore, so all her wild clothes were a couple years old and a little too youthful for her. Hell, this whole bar was too youthful for her, with its pounding music and busy dance floor, crammed with people dirty dancing.
“Quit fidgeting. You’re like a child right now. A drunk child,” Chase said, rolling his eyes. “Drink a glass of water and then go over there and interrupt him, for god’s sake.”
“Interrupt who?” Brooke said, picking up the cup of ice water that Chase slid over to her and taking a sip. She tried to play it cool, but her eyes wandered right over to Pax and the blonde, who was leaning over the booth where Pax sat, saying something and waggling her boobs in an unsubtle way.
“He looks miserable, if you’ll notice,” Chase told Brooke. “Pink tube tops and cherry lip gloss have really never been his thing.”
“And what, pray tell, is his thing?” Brooke snapped, frowning at her brother. “Since you’re determined to butt in.”
“You, Brooke. You’re like… his only thing. He’s never dated anyone, and all his hookups have looked just like you,” Chase said, sounding a little disgusted. “It’s pathetic. I keep trying to tell him that you’re not even that great.”
“Jerk,” Brooke said, rolling her eyes and slapping Chase’s arm. “I’m awesome. You’re lucky just to know me, buddy.”
Chase’s expression sobered.
“Listen, Pax told me the story about mom and dad… I think we should talk about it, B.”
“No no no,” Brooke said, giving her head a sharp
shake. “You promised me a night of fun. This conversation is like… the opposite of fun.”
Chase huffed a sigh and shrugged.
“Later, then, but we will talk. In the meantime, I think that girl’s about to give Pax a lap dance right here in the bar…”
“The hell!” Brooke croaked, spinning around to see. “Is she seriously trying to get him to take her shirt off?”
The girl was teasingly tucking the hem of her tube top in Pax’s hand, then yanking it away. Brooke saw Pax stifle a yawn, then say something and try to push the blonde a step back. He stood, which only encouraged the girl; she pressed herself up against Pax and started swaying to the bar’s loud music, grinning.
“Get in there, slugger,” Chase said, giving Brooke a little push.
“Go to hell,” Brooke said, but her feet were already carrying her toward Paxton.
She stopped right next to the blonde, crossing her arms.
“Do you mind?” Brooke asked, glaring at her.
“Yes,” the woman said, eyes narrowing to slits. “I saw him first.”
Brooke laughed, surprised.
“I doubt that. We’ve been together since 2009,” Brooke informed her. “He just got back from deployment, so I’d appreciate if you stepped off.”
The blonde looked up at Pax, who shrugged.
“Told you so,” he said.
With a huff, Miss Tube Top whirled and stalked off, looking for new prey. Pax looked at Brooke and shook his head.
“Oh, now we’re together, huh?” he asked. “An hour ago, you told me to stop eye fucking you, if I recall correctly.”
“Is there any chance we can just not talk about this right now?” Brooke asked, pulling a face. “I haven’t exactly been my best self tonight.”
Pax’s lips twitched, and Brooke could tell that she’d been forgiven.
“I guess I’m okay with any self you want to be, as long as it’s wearing this dress,” he said, reaching out and running his fingertips down her hip, tugging at the hem of the ridiculously short garment.
“Yeah?” Brooke asked, catching his hand and pulling him toward the packed dance floor. “Come see it in action.”
Pax let her tow him into the crush of gyrating bodies, surprisingly unresistant. She could tell from the look on his face that the bar wasn’t playing his kind of music. At the moment a sultry remix of a Nine Inch Nails song was playing. The bass was low and persistent, the song’s lyrics were more than a little suggestive, and the crowd was writhing enthusiastically along.
Pax took the lead, pulling Brooke up against his body as they swayed to the beat. He pressed one muscular thigh between hers, his hand splayed against her lower back to hold her close. Brooke bit her lip and stared up at him, their gazes connecting and holding, tension building between them.
It was like stoking a banked fire, flames leaping to life again like no time had passed. Like the last six years never happened, like she and Paxton hadn’t missed a single moment together. Even now, past and present blurred, the memory of Pax’s lips on hers so fresh in her mind that she wasn’t sure where they were, what they were doing.
The song shifted and Pax turned her around, pulling her ass back against his body as he swayed his hips. He was hard, and the feel of him made Brooke’s mouth go dry. Pax’s hands guided the movement of her hips, squeezing her flesh, reminding her of how dominant and confident he was in bed.
Damn, the man was pure sex.
“Alright, love birds,” Chase shouted in Brooke’s ear, making her jump. She turned to find her brother standing with his arms crossed, several women gravitating towards him with interested expressions. “We gotta go.”
“Awwwww,” Brooke protested as Chase shooed her off the dance floor, Pax trailing behind them. “You’re no fun, you know that? Maybe you should let loose, live a little. When’s the last time you got laid?”
Chase favored her with an unamused glance.
“You’re riding with me,” he said, then turned to Pax. “Can you hitch a ride with Harlan and Penny?”
Pax’s gaze narrowed, but after a moment he nodded.
“See you back at the lodge,” he told Brooke, giving her hip a gentle caress. “I moved some of my stuff into the main lodge, so I’m staying right in the room right below yours.”
Brooke nodded, not sure what to make of that. Chase rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, dragging her out of the bar to his SUV.
“What is your deal right now?” Brooke asked, scowling at her brother as he made sure she was safely in the car, then closed her door and walked around to climb in the drivers seat.
“My deal is that I feel like you’re toying with Pax, B.” Chase guided the SUV out of the parking lot, his expression stormy.
“What?” Brooke asked, perplexed.
“This whole, want me, don’t want me thing you were doing tonight,” he muttered. “It’s unkind.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brooke said, crossing her arms.
“Put your damn seatbelt on,” Chase said, shaking his head. He pulled onto a winding two-lane road, taking the long way home. Harlan must have taken the faster route, because there was not another car to be seen, just quiet, hilly darkness for miles.
Brooke tried not to pout as she fastened her belt.
“Maybe you should just stay out of it,” she said. “Ever thought of that?”
Chase pulled the car over onto the shoulder, stopping abruptly. He turned to stare at Brooke, angrier than she’d seen him since their parents’ funeral.
“You have no idea, do you?” he said, his eyes flashing. “Pax loves you, Brooke. When you dumped him, I didn’t say anything to you because it’s your decision, your right. But I had to sit with him every day, watch him be miserable. For years, Brooke. It’s not like he rebounded, went to some strip clubs and then found a new girlfriend. He never replaced you, ever.”
Brooke’s mouth opened and closed, but she was at a complete loss.
“I.. I didn’t know,” she said at last.
“Yeah, well. I’m telling you. He mourned you, B. You finally got the balls to spill all these secrets you’ve been keeping, about Mom and Dad and Travis. Pax rolled with the punches, forgave you for breaking his fucking heart. And now you have the guts to treat him like some lost puppy?”
“I don’t think that,” Brooke said, frowning.
“Well, that’s how you’re acting. You’re back in my life, which I appreciate. I love you, I want you around. But Winter Pass is my home, and Pax’s. It’s the only place we can be safe. There are people out there that hunt and skin werewolves, you know.”
Brooke flushed at that.
“No,” she said softly. “I didn’t know.”
“Open your eyes, B. Pax is dealing with a lot of shit, just like you are. So the question is, are you going to grow up and stand with him, or are you going to torture him forever?”
“I literally left my fiance four days ago,” Brooke said. “I am just trying to get my head straight before I jump into things with Pax. I was trying to be fair.”
“Well, you’re doing the opposite. If you love him, be with him. If you don’t, leave him alone. That’s all I’m saying.”
With that pronouncement, Chase threw the car in gear again and pulled out onto the road. Silence reigned, and Brooke stared out into the darkness, mulling over her brother’s words.
He was right. Brooke had only meant to get a little space, but Pax deserved to know what was in her heart. She loved him every bit as much ever. At the end of their first date, when Pax walked her up to the front porch of the lodge, he’d looked down into her eyes and kissed her.
She’d known, right then. Just like she knew now.
When Chase pulled up outside the main lodge, Brooke turned to look at him.
“Thanks,” was all she said, but she knew Chase understood. He nodded, seeing her to the main house before trotting off to his own cabin.
Brooke let herself into the main house. Her bro
w furrowed when she stepped inside, noticing that the brand new front door lock they’d installed the day before was loose. The door was badly scratched all around the handle, making her wonder what the hell the handyman had been doing.
Making a mental note to have the man come out and replace the whole thing at cost, Brooke toed off her shoes and looked around the spacious, dimly lit main room of the lodge. It was a huge open-air affair, with two back hallways. One led to a restaurant-quality kitchen and dining area; the other led to a few of the more lavish guest suites. Brooke was partial to one of the smaller bedrooms upstairs, the one she’d stayed in during college breaks, but Pax’s selection of one of Winter Pass’s nicest rooms made her smile.
His choice was easy to identify, mainly because it was the only door open on the whole hall. That, and the fact that there was a little candlelight and soft music pouring into the hallway, beckoning.
Apparently Paxton wasn’t above a little wooing, even after all they’d been through.
Smile on her lips, Brooke shook her head. She needed to head upstairs and freshen up before she threw herself at Pax. Get out of her impractical leather dress, at least.
Keeping her footsteps quiet, Brooke hurried up the stairs to change and primp a little. A girl needed to look her best when she was about to—
Brooke stumbled to a halt in front of her door, then screamed.
Chapter Seven
Pax toweled off after a quick shower — and he meant quick, doing just the bare minimum required, considering the things he was hoping to do to Brooke in short order. He’d managed to get his legs halfway into a pair of soft flannel pajama pants when he heard Brooke’s terrified scream.
His heart thundering, Pax dragged the pants on and charged out of his suite, heading straight for his mate. He cleared the stairs between them in no time flat, bounding up to find Brooke standing in the hallway, clutching her throat.
It didn’t take much deduction to find out what had upset her. Scrawled on the door of her room, in shiny-wet dark red, was a message.
