by Maddy Barone
“I’ll send a couple of the boys to run patrol around the cabin,” Taye offered.
That would work. The thought of having Sherry all to himself was tempting. Would a week be enough time to make her forget her husband? He could prove to her that he wouldn’t harm her. Maybe she would fall in love with him. What could it hurt? Right now she wanted him to leave her. He couldn’t bear that.
Taye could see his inner debate. He held out the book. “Here. Read this. Then come back and tell me if you want us to guard you and Sherry at the cabin.”
Stag took the battered paperback doubtfully. “What am I supposed to find out when I read this?”
“What women like in bed.”
Well, that was probably worth a couple hours of his time. Sherry was no virgin, not with her marriage to LeRoi, but he was. He’d had nothing but years of hot dreams of what he’d do with his mate if he ever found her. He sighed and nodded to Taye. “I’ll be out in the sweat lodge.”
It was nearly supper time when he returned to the rec room. The room was crowded. Rose and the Grandmother were at the table by the window, winding yarn into balls. The Grandmother was the eldest member of the Clan and she was revered by all. The skinny blonde, Mrs. Madison, was there, in a chair by the fireplace, with her husband Eddie standing at her side. About a dozen members of the Pack were there, too, lolling on furs on the floor, and Taye was sitting on the floor beside his mate’s chair, his head tipped back so Carla could finger comb his hair. Everyone looked up as Stag burst in. He ignored them to wave the book angrily in Taye’s face.
“He strips her naked and ties her to the bed?” he roared.
Taye smiled like the wolf he was. “The bunk,” he corrected. “That’s one of my favorite parts. And when he uses a feather to tickle her—”
“I’m not stripping Sherry and trying her to the bed!”
Taye’s eyelids drooped as he laid his cheek on his mate’s knee. “And that part where he takes her pearl necklace off her neck and slides it inside her—”
“Taye!” Carla jumped up, dumping his head off her knee. She shot a warning glare around at the wolves, who quickly hid their interest and pretended to go back to whatever they had been doing. “Did you give him one of your romance novels to use as a template to seduce Sherry?”
Taye flowed smoothly to his feet. “Now, sweetheart, don’t be like that. It’s just to help him.”
“Yeah? Remember how well that worked for Sky with Rose?”Carla snorted.
By the window, Rose stiffened with a ferocious scowl.
“Well, Sky was over-enthusiastic. He didn’t make sure Rose wanted him to kiss her before he grabbed her.” Taye gave the blonde teen an apologetic smile, then turned to Stag with a serious face. “Be absolutely sure Sherry wants you before you so much as touch her.” He thought, brow furrowed. “Wait for her to invite you to kiss her. The second she says stop, let her go.” He arched a brow at his mate. “Sweetheart? Do you have any advice for Stag?”
Carla sighed and shook her head, but she answered anyway. “Let her set the pace. Let Sherry be in control. That way she won’t be afraid.”
Rose spoke in a belligerent tone. “Leave her alone! Just let Sherry make up her own mind.”
Mrs. Madison’s voice was sweet and clear. “Trust her. Trust is the most important thing in a marriage.”
Her husband shot her a glare and drew back from her. Eddie Madison was widely regarded as the handsomest man in five hundred miles. His hair was golden blond, his eyes turquoise blue, his physique lithely muscled. One of the women in the Clan said Eddie Madison’s smile could make a brick wall weep with desire. But Eddie wasn’t smiling now. Stag sniffed to try to discern the man’s feelings, but he was wearing so much cologne he couldn’t tell. His wife’s blue eyes filled with tears she tried to hide by turning her face down. Carla noticed, though. Stag saw her stare accusingly at Eddie Madison. Taye followed his mate’s gaze and his dark eyes turned cold. After the murder of their women, the wolves had become doubly protective of any female. None of them could bear to see a woman cry.
Taye took his eyes off Madison reluctantly. “So, you want us to run patrols for you?”
“Yes.” Stag decided to do it. Sherry might not be happy about being kidnapped at first, but once she was settled in the cabin she would come around. He would be careful to assure her he wouldn’t touch her without her permission. “We’ll be leaving Kearney around noon tomorrow. I want at least a couple of you to shadow us so no one gives us trouble on the way.”
Carla asked suspiciously, “Where are you going?”
Taye slung an arm around her waist. “Oh, Stag’s going to abduct Sherry and hold her captive in a hidden cabin until she agrees to have sex,” he explained breezily.
Stag felt himself blush hotly when Carla turned wide, horrified eyes on him. He was twenty-eight years old, too old to be blushing like a boy. “No!” he shouted. “That’s not how it will be!” Not really. He hoped Sherry would make love with him, but that was entirely up to her. If she still refused him at the end of the week, he would accept it and take her back to the Plane Women’s House. “Shut up, Taye,” he growled.
Taye grinned unrepentantly, then sobered when the Grandmother spoke.
“Jumping Stag, do you suppose your mate will be pleased by this scheme?”
Stag squirmed under the authority of the elderly woman, feeling like a little boy about to get a scolding. “No,” he admitted honestly. “But I swear I won’t hurt her or force her to do anything. If she still refuses me at the end of the week I’ll bring her back to Kearney untouched.”
The Grandmother’s watery blue eyes were faded by age, but sharper than an arrowhead. “This scheme of yours could backfire. Sherry might never forgive you.”
Stag wavered for only a moment. He was sure Sherry would come around. “I understand.”
After a few long minutes of staring at him, The Grandmother waved a hand. “Good luck, then.”
Everyone seemed to relax under the Grandmother’s lukewarm approval of his plan. Taye set a hand on his shoulder. “I have one more piece of advice for you, and it’s an important one. Whatever happens, be sure she comes before you do.”
“Comes where?’ Stag asked, perplexed. He noticed that both Carla and Mrs. Madison had odd expressions on their faces. Mrs. Madison’s very fair skin showed her embarrassment clearly. A few descriptions in the book he still held came back to him. “Oh,” he said, with sudden comprehension. “Wait. How do I do that?”
Taye opened his mouth, but Carla pointed toward the door. “Out! Go somewhere else to talk about that,” she ordered. “Supper will be ready in a half hour. That ought to be enough time for your—” her lips quirked into a half-smile “—discussion.”
As Taye led him out he heard Carla mutter that wolves were sweet. Naïve, but sweet. Taye took him out to the yard and spoke very frankly about how a man could please a woman. Stag listened intently. They had a circle of other young wolves around them, listening just as intently. Stag wanted to please Sherry. Even more than he wanted physical release himself, he wanted his mate to be happy with his lovemaking. Well, he wanted pleasure, too, of course, but he had been using his own hand for more than a dozen years. He was familiar with his body’s responses, how to grip and pull to bring himself to orgasm. What he didn’t know was how to touch Sherry to give her pleasure. He committed every word of Taye’s instructions to memory, and hoped his mate would give him a chance to put them into action.
By the time supper was over he had his plans for Sherry’s abduction set. Taye would see that the cabin was stocked with enough food for a week, and plenty of firewood and blankets so Sherry wouldn’t be cold. Carla didn’t approve of his plan to take Sherry to the cabin, but she said nothing except to warn him to treat her gently, not do anything to scare her, and to not touch her unless she invited him to. And, she tacked on as an afterthought, to be sure to have clean clothes for Sherry to wear. When Taye had won her in the Bride Fight she had worn the same grubby cl
othes for a week.
Stag walked with two others of Taye’s Pack to escort the Madisons back to their house in Kearney. He noticed that husband and wife walked with a distance between them that was more than merely physical. Mrs. Madison was plainly unhappy. If Madison didn’t do something to change that, his wife would find a husband more congenial. With men outnumbering women by a hundred to one, there was no reason for a woman to stay with a man who made her unhappy, no matter how handsome he was.
After Eddie and Lisa were passed through the gate at the mayor’s house by the guards manning the fence, Stag said goodbye to the other wolves and went to the Plane Women’s House. He sought out Des and told him of the plan to abduct Sherry. It was only right to let the Alpha know that Sherry would be away for a week. Otherwise, there would be a search for her. Des asked a few questions, promised to have a bag packed for Sherry and wished him luck with a hearty slap on the shoulder. Stag went to his basement room without seeking Sherry out. Beginning tomorrow, he would see her every hour of the day for a week.
He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Four
When Stag didn’t show up for lunch, Sherry was poked by uneasy guilt. Maybe she had said too much when she told him she needed more time? When he didn’t show up for supper, Sherry was alarmed. Except for the last month when he was gone, he had never left her alone for so long. The guilt grew as the evening wore on with still no appearance from Stag.
She had fibbed to him a little bit. Jodi and Dixie had agreed to help her work through the fear instilled in her by LeRoi’s battering, but they hadn’t said that Stag had to leave her alone during the counseling. In fact, they had suggested that having him attend some of the later sessions might be helpful for him to understand why she felt the way she did. She really didn’t want him there. He already had a low opinion of LeRoi. Her husband had had his faults, but he had his good qualities too. In the early part of their marriage he had made her feel beautiful and loved. He had showered her with gifts. When they were dating, he sent flowers every week. Later it was jewelry. The more violent he was, the more expensive his gifts became. After that last beating, when she had left him, LeRoi tried to tempt her back with diamond necklace worth $75,000. As if diamonds could pay for her broken collarbone and mend her broken heart. What would Stag say about that?
That night Marissa caught her in the hall outside her room and gave her a quick, impulsive hug. “It’s none of my business,” she said awkwardly. “But I overheard you last night when you were talking to Stag. Um, about your dad and your husband. Look, you don’t need to worry about Stag mistreating you. The Clan practically worships women. I think it’s because there aren’t very many in the first place, and then most of theirs were killed. If Stag ever did hurt you, all you’d have to do is tell Des, or any of the wolves and they would take care of it. But Stag won’t hurt you. You can count on that.”
Sherry wanted to believe that, but she couldn’t. Why was she such a coward? She gave Marissa a strained smile and said thank you before she opened the door of her apartment and fled into its cold privacy. One of the things she hated about living in 2064 was the lack of heat and hot water. Usually she was okay after she put on flannel pajamas and thick wool socks and tucked herself in. Sometimes she envied Marissa and Renee for their warm mates, who were probably as good as any furnace. If she could just bring herself to trust Stag, she was sure she could fall in love with him. In fact, in those rare moments when she was brave enough to be completely honest with herself, she thought she might already be a tiny bit in love with him. He said he would never hurt her. She did want to believe that. But she had believed LeRoi over and over, and look where that had gotten her. Trust had to be earned.
Sherry pulled the heavy blankets up to her chin. This morning Dixie said she should be up front and honest with Stag about her feelings. Sherry tried to imagine telling Stag that he’d made her nervous when he bit her breast because she was afraid he would hurt her worse. But how could she say that to him? He would be offended. Sherry curled her toes in her thick socks, pondering that thought. She was sure Stag would be hurt by her fears. Did that mean that deep down she believed he really wouldn’t ever hurt her?
Where was Stag? Sherry turned onto her side, trembling with the cold and wondering if Stag had already left to go back to the Clan. He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, would he? She remembered the anger on his face as he spun away from her that morning. Maybe he had left without saying goodbye. Maybe he’d decided he didn’t want her for his mate after all.
Why did that thought make her want to cry?
* * *
In the morning, the sight of Stag setting up tables for breakfast made her almost dizzy with relief. Sherry actually had to lean against the wall for a brief moment to get her balance back. He noticed. With the uncanny speed all the wolves had, he rushed to her side before she could push away from the wall. The concern on his face almost brought tears to her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded anxiously. “Are you sick?”
Yes, what was wrong with her? Was she really that relieved to see him? Yes, she realized with surprise, she really was. “I’m fine, Stag. Where were you yesterday?” That question should have been strong. Instead it came out plaintively.
His slow smile made him even more handsome. “I went to talk to Taye.”
“I thought you went back to the Clan without saying goodbye.”
His fingertips grazed her cheek with hardly more pressure than a breeze. “I wouldn’t do that.”
Sherry squirmed inwardly. “Stag … You don’t have to leave. I mean, you don’t have to go away until Christmas. I … um, I think we can keep talking and getting to know each other better.”
“Good. I agree. We should spend more time together getting to know one another. Let’s talk about it later. You go sit down. You need to eat some breakfast.”
There he went again with that you-need-to-fatten-up thing. Sherry rolled her eyes and made her way to a table while Stag finished setting up the other tables and chairs. Marissa joined her, face glowing.
“Good morning,” Sherry said. “You look happy.”
Marissa leaned very close to whisper in her ear, “I think I’m pregnant! Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
Already? Sherry counted in her head. “It’s only been a month, girl.”
Marissa’s smile had a happily guilty curve to it. “Actually, it’s been two and a half months. Me and Red Wing were together a few times in the Clan camp before he went to Omaha to look for my son. I haven’t had my period, and this morning I felt a little queasy.”
For someone with morning sickness, Marissa looked pretty perky. Sherry studied her, smiling at the woman’s pink cheeks and bright eyes. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Don’t tell anyone, though,” she repeated her earlier words. “It’s too early to know for sure and I don’t want Red Wing to be disappointed if I’m not.”
“Sure.”
“I need to see the doctor without making Red Wing freak out.”
A baby. Sherry glanced down at her flat stomach. She and LeRoi decided early that they didn’t want to start a family right away, and she was glad of it. Children would have made things much more difficult for them. But Sherry wanted to be a mother. She wanted to be the mother she hadn’t had. And she wanted the father to be a real father, not like hers was. She looked around for Stag, wondering if he would be a good dad. She thought he would be. Her memories of the Clan camp were a little fuzzy, but she remembered a number of boys in camp. They seemed to be happy and secure. Abused or neglected children didn’t act happy and secure, especially around strangers.
“Doctor Whitten isn’t coming around here anymore, is he?” Marissa asked.
“No, he hasn’t come for weeks.” Sherry tapped her finger against her chin, thinking. She liked the doctor who’d paid daily visits to the Plane Women’s House to treat the injured. A doctor who made house calls was unheard of back home. One who accepted home cooked
meals as payment? A myth. But Doctor Whitten did both. “Maybe you should tell Red Wing. If you say you need to see the doctor without telling him why, he really will freak out.”
“Maybe I could sneak off and see him alone?”
Sherry arched a brow. “Girl, don’t be stupid. Can you so much as go out to use the outhouse without at least two of the men keeping an eye you?”
“I guess not, and that’s inside the fence.” Marissa sounded glum. “I’ll wait a while.”
Now that the tables were set up, the women were filling them. Sherry saw Stag standing by the door, speaking to Des with urgent gestures. After a minute the men both glanced at her, then nodded at each other before splitting up. Stag walked to her table and sat down.
“Good morning. Marissa,” he said politely, before leaning over Sherry. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, Sherry,” he remarked. “We do need to spend more time together. It’s going to be a beautiful day. I’ve arranged for us to have horses so we can go for a ride after lunch. We can talk and get to know each other better.”
His casual tone seemed off. She blinked at him. “Well…” She hadn’t been riding in years, but she felt like she owed him something. Yesterday morning she hadn’t been kind to him. Besides, it would be nice to leave the compound. “Alright. But I’m on kitchen duty for supper tonight, so we’ll have to get back early.”
“I already talked to Des, so he’ll have someone cover for you. If we’re out late, that is,” he added hastily. “Your name is pretty.” He sounded like a drowning man floundering to catch a rope. “Did your mother name you Sherry? That’s not Korean, is it?”
“No, my mom named me Chantelle after my dad’s mom. She probably hoped it would make my dad want us.” She snorted. “It didn’t. He already had another daughter he’d named Chantelle, so when I came to America my father and his wife changed my name to Sherry. ”
Marissa said indignantly, “They changed your name?”
