She smiled at him. Pleasure haze numbed her mind. Her interest began stirring again. Thankfully, these pheromones would lessen at one point. She’d like to have a coherent conversation with them soon.
“How right this felt took me by surprise, too. I’d always thought it would be simple sex, but this is more.” She took a few slow, deep breaths and regretted it. Desire rose a little higher.
She might get a little scared about that more, later. The mandatory aspect of the law had annoyed her. She’d wanted to choose who she went out with and ultimately married.
“Come on, baby. We’ll start a shower for you. You have to be tired, and I know the hot water will help your muscles.” Logan walked over and plucked her out of Tony’s arms.
“Hey, savoring the moment.” Tony’s voice held a little amusement.
“Our mate needs a little care and maybe a nap. I’m handling that.” Logan didn’t look back at him.
She relaxed and let herself go with the flow.
Chapter Seven
Jase sat on the couch while they waited for Chloe to finish getting ready. He smiled when he caught movement from the corner of his eyes. Logan paced up and down the room. Logan’s bear wanted their mate close and wasn’t happy about the separation, even for her to dress and primp for their night out.
Jason’s bear wasn’t that anxious, but he could understand Logan’s reaction. He hadn’t known her name until they met last night. They were moving to solidify their relationship though.
They’d moved some of her things into their home. She had all her clothes and anything else she needed. While they hadn’t figured out what to do with the extra furniture, she was set for a while. He’d thought she’d have a problem with it, but she seemed all right.
She hadn’t relaxed around them yet. None of them would settle until that happened. They wanted their mate happy. Before she could be happy, she’d have to accept their relationship.
Excitement and anticipation had flared in her eyes when they’d mentioned taking her out. That eagerness gave him more than enough incentive to resist the urge to keep her at home. Part of him wished they could keep her in their den and cement their relationship. The human side of him recognized that putting a normal face on their bond might further their goal more than time in bed.
Chloe glided into the room. A green dress hugged her curvy form. His eyes trailed downward and caught on a necklace strung with small gold leaves trailing down along the neckline. The collar dipped down and showed the swell of her breasts, but didn’t expose them so much that he felt territorial.
The skirt of the dress hung loose around her legs. He liked the way it swirled around her thighs with each step. He swept his gaze down her gorgeous legs to the high heels encasing her feet.
Damn, she was sexy. He stared at her and tried to wrangle his thoughts away from the sexual. His mind locked on the idea of lifting her skirt to find out what she wore beneath it.
Would it be some silky scrap of nothing, or would she be bare to his touch? He couldn’t tell. Once he discovered what she had under there, he’d touch and taste her skin. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
“You didn’t tell me where you planned to go. Is this all right?” She stopped near the doorway. Her tongue slicked over her lips.
“Yes, it’s perfect.” Jase rose to his feet. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready. I’m looking forward to our date.” She walked forward and put her hand on his. “I’d like to talk and learn more about all of you, your lives, and families.”
“And we’d like to learn more about you. We know a little through Dixie, Shonna, and Leslie. We talked a little while you slept.” He put her hand on his arm.
Logan came up on her other side. His arm slipped around her. He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her cheek.
“Then how about we start our evening? I’m anxious to see where you’re taking me.” She relaxed. Her fingers rested against his arm.
Jason smiled, satisfied with her response. The attraction between them might be hot and strong, but they had to create a bond with her based on more than sex. That had to start with letting her get to know them and accustomed to the relationship they were building.
They started the night at a restaurant, Marcella’s. Not Tony’s, because if they’d gone there, they’d be interrupted for some small or major matter which couldn’t wait until later. That wasn’t part of the plan. The focus tonight would be on her and them, not work.
They’d made reservations this morning. Tony had called in a favor to get them a good table at a reasonable time. Jason wanted her to enjoy their night together.
He enjoyed the click of her heels on the wooden floor. It let him know she was right beside him. He glanced around as they walked. The rich amber color on the walls was accented by a white scrolling design.
“Did you already have a reservation here? We have to book a few days in advance or wait hours to get a table for lunch.” Chloe looked up at Jase as the waitress led them to the table.
“No, we didn’t. Not that I’d be stupid enough to admit if we did. Tony knows more than a few of the other restaurant owners in the area and talked our way in here.” Jase curved an arm around her.
They reached the table draped with a rich cream-colored cloth. It wouldn’t be easy to keep his touch to a publicly acceptable level. His bear kept bombarding him with all of the ways they could deepen the bond between them.
“Nice to have those connections.” She smiled and took the seat Tony pulled out for her.
“Yes, I’d do more if it made you happy.” Tony drew his hand over her shoulder before he took a seat.
She bit her lip. “Damn, you do know what to say to make me feel special.”
“You are special.” Logan took the chair closest to her.
“Thank you.” She blushed, and her head lowered for a moment.
“Let’s order an appetizer and we can start talking.” Jase took his seat across from her.
“Yeah, I have a lot of questions. Not only about you three, but also about the mating and all that entails.” She relaxed back in the chair and took the menu from the waiter.
“We’ll answer your questions.” Jase had realized there would be things she needed clarified. She was human and had been hit with a lot of new information.
She waited until after they’d ordered their appetizers and main course and received their drinks. “How about we start this with easy ‘get to know each other’ questions? I don’t think we’ll make it through the evening without getting to the hard questions.”
Perhaps it would help her relax around them. He could see the tension in her shoulders. On top of that, she had to feel lost and uncertain. On top of that, she faced at least a few weeks of being stalked by foxes. The two women’s actions made it clear they considered her prey.
“All right, Logan, since I already know what you do, how about we start with family? Do you have any brothers and sisters? Are you from the Casworth area?” She leaned toward him and smiled at Logan.
“I have two brothers, John and Drake.” Logan reached out and covered her hand with his. “They’re both younger than me.”
Jase gave a small nod at Logan’s action. She needed to get accustomed to their touch. It would increase the intimacy between them.
“And did you grow up here?” Her head tilted to the side.
“No, I lived in a small town in Florida until I was about eight. After that, my family moved every few years until we stopped here when I was around fifteen. The family relocated again while I was in college. Right now, they’re in San Francisco.” Logan slipped his hand under hers.
Jase watched her reaction. Logan gave her plenty of time to draw back. She didn’t. She curled her fingers around his and kept watching him.
“Do you see them much?” Her tongue slicked over her lips. “Are both of your parents alive?”
“Yes, both of my parents are alive. I see my parents at least two or three times a year. My b
rothers are another matter. They’re both busy with their lives. I haven’t seen them in a while.” Logan shrugged.
“How old are your brothers? You said they were younger than you, and I pictured much younger.” She frowned.
“John is twenty-four and Drake, twenty-seven.” Logan squeezed her hand. “Now it’s our turn for a couple of questions.”
“All right, you can ask me anything.” She looked at each of them. “My life is normal. Most of the time, I follow a routine of work, walk the dog, sleep, and eat. The only breaks in that are lunches and nights with the girls.”
“Normal? You played in a band and went on tour.” Jase grinned. He didn’t buy that normal comment. Dixie had dropped that bit of information last night.
“That happened near the end of the time I played with the band, Stray Storm, and we opened a couple of times, but not for any huge names. Don’t be that impressed.” She lifted one shoulder.
“Do you miss playing with them?” Jase took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he wanted to hear. She’d settled in the city and begun building a life here away from her previous career as a musician.
Her mouth twisted and she bit her lip. “It’s not an easy question to answer, because there’s a lot of the life I liked and some that I hated.”
“If you could do it today, would you go back to Storm?” Tony asked.
She paused and exhaled. “No, I’ve moved on from the music. It’s not the sole center of my life. I no longer live for it. When I enjoyed playing with them, the guitar and music was everything.”
“The guitar? Is that what you played?” Jase leaned forward. “Do you still play it?”
“Yes, I played the guitar. I take any opportunity to pick it up I get. If you three don’t like the sound of a guitar, I’ll have to play it somewhere else or we’ll need a soundproofed room.” She raised an eyebrow.
“We love music. Tony plays the piano.” Logan’s finger’s tightened and pulled their joined hands back as the waiter brought their appetizers.
“You play piano? When did you learn?” Her eyes locked on Tony. She picked up an apple-prosciutto crostini.
“I started in grade school. I learned from my grandmother at first and later had some formal training. I’m good enough for friends and family who don’t mind if I sometimes miss a note.” Tony shrugged, but Jase saw a tide of red wash up his friend’s cheeks.
“What do you do? Dixie told us you work from home, but didn’t tell us anything specific.” Jase decided to move the focus away from Tony for a little while. He knew Tony was a little shy about his piano playing. It was something he only shared with family.
“Graphic design. I started with some freelance work and have managed to build up a decent clientele.” She popped the last bit of toasted bread into her mouth.
“What type of graphic design? Do you do something like games, animation, or movies, or is it web pages and things like that?” Logan asked.
“Some web pages, ads, and any other graphics a client may need.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “It keeps me busy.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Tony ignored the food on his plate, and his entire attention focused on the woman sitting on the opposite side of the table.
Jason knew that Chloe didn’t see how that action showed her importance to them. Bears did not ignore food. Especially when they were hungry. To his knowledge, Dixie and the girls were some of her first shapeshifter friends.
“I had one sister, Ava. She was three years older than me. Smart and so pretty, but she died with my parents in the accident.” Her mouth kicked up at one corner, but the smile was sad.
“Do you mind telling me what kind of accident?” Jason asked.
“They were coming to get me from one of my friend’s house.” She exhaled heavily. “Their car was hit by a big eighteen-wheeler truck on the freeway. I learned later that they were in his blind spot and he switched lanes.
“I know I have aunts and uncles, but none of them stepped forward after my parents died. I don’t know if they didn’t have the resources. Maybe they didn’t want another mouth to feed. As for my grandparents, my mother’s parents lived across the country. I never heard anything about them after the accident. My dad’s father was disabled in a work accident and it was all my grandmother could do to take care of him.” She swallowed hard and looked down at the table for a long moment.
“When did your parents die?” Logan leaned closer to her until their shoulders touched.
Jase would have done one thing different. He would have taken her into his arms. The thought of her alone in the world made him wish he could wrap her up and keep her away from anything that might hurt her. It was ridiculous. He knew she wouldn’t stand for that.
Chloe was a well-adjusted, strong woman. She could handle most things that came her way. He’d keep her safe from danger, but everything else she’d insist on facing herself.
“I was ten. I stayed in the foster system until I graduated. They sent me to decent homes.” She exhaled and looked up. Her mouth tipped up, but the expression was shaky.
“Do you have any contact with your relatives now?” Logan’s head tilted. His voice was quiet.
“No, I did try to get in touch with my uncles and aunts after I turned eighteen, but they never returned my calls. I don’t know why they wouldn’t even talk to me.” Her chin trembled and she lowered her head.
Jason wanted to hunt them down. Someone should have taken her in. Regardless of what happened in the past, they should have talked to her when she called. She was family.
“Why don’t you ask us some of the tougher questions now? You can get back to the personal questions with each of us later.” Tony took a long drink of the beer in front of him.
She blinked at him. Her shoulders relaxed a little and she nodded. “The bites. You bit me last night. I know it’s part of the claiming, but there are a few things about it that I don’t know.”
“Dixie never talked to you about it?” Jase asked.
“They’ve mentioned a few things, but I never asked. I wanted to avoid anything that might lead them to questions. Not to mention, I’d been avoiding thinking about any relationship with a whyr.” She worried her lower lip and glanced down as she toyed with her fork.
From what she’d said, she’d tried her best to avoid any situation that might reveal her latent status. Not asking questions would raise suspicions in him if one of his friends was unfamiliar with whyr life, but lived in a whyr-run town.
“Didn’t that raise more questions though? I’d be curious about why someone avoided the subject any time the topic of whyr rose.” Tony’s voice softened. He leaned forward.
“I didn’t avoid the subject entirely. I redirected them when they asked a question that might reveal my latent status or tried to set me up on blind dates with whyr.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t want to lose my choice.”
Jason realized she hadn’t been thinking of him, Logan, and Tony specifically, but he felt a little pang of rejection. Logic couldn’t dispel it. She wouldn’t think of a mating in the same way he did.
“And mating is bad?”
She sighed. “Mating seemed strange, even in the abstract.”
He remembered she said something about control. Normal. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that she needed time to adjust.
“What questions do you have about the mating bites?” Tony asked.
“Well, first, were the bites to change me? I know that latents can be changed into a whyrcreature, but there wasn’t information on how it happens or when.” She licked her lips.
Latents were precious, because whyr had very few female children. It was hard to find a mate. Compatible humans were their only hope. Often, they had to recognize a human as a mate before she was tested.
He could tell she wasn’t sure what to think about the process. He could live with the uncertainty for the moment. He wouldn’t stop trying to prove that she needed t
his type of relationship.
“The bites serve as a claim, but they do begin the change in you. It will happen relatively fast. You should be ready for your first change within a month.” Jason wished he could hold her while they worked through this. At least she seemed calm and receptive to it.
“Ready for it?” She frowned. “What do you mean ready? Isn’t it something that just happens?”
“It’s not only the physical change. There’s also a mental and spiritual component. You and the bear have to come to an accord. That might take a little time. The change won’t happen if you’re fighting against it and the bear.” Logan pulled his hand back as their entrees arrived at the table.
The waiter put their food in front of them. She remained quiet as the man did his work. She stared off into space. Jason could tell that her mind spun with what they’d told her.
“Can we eat and maybe make some small talk for a while? I’m a little overwhelmed.” She licked her lips.
“Yes, take the time you need. We don’t have any time limit or anything to accomplish tonight except to spend a little time with you.” Jason relaxed back in the chair. “We plan to take you out to dance.”
“That sounds great.” She nodded.
They finished eating and went to a local bar where there was a good band and a dance floor. She glanced around as they found a table. She’d relaxed while they ate. They’d chatted through the rest of dinner. Now, she seemed to be anticipating an enjoyable evening.
He eased up beside her and took her free hand. Her fingers tightened around his and she peeked up at him, a smile curving her lips. She leaned closer to him.
“Dance?” Jason asked.
“Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “Now or are we getting drinks first?”
“Now, give them your order. It will be waiting when you get back to the table.” Jason wouldn’t wait for someone to take their order. He wanted his arms around her and the warmth of her body moving against his. Considering they were in public, he’d take the opportunity to hold her.
Latent Desires (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 6
