Mount Roxby Box Set

by Aimie Jennison

  In two minds about what to tell him, I delay by heading to the fridge for a beer first. “I’m grabbing a beer, do you want one?” I know he’ll find out about my date sooner or later, but I have an inkling that he has his own feelings for Ruby. Not that he’ll admit it. I’ve hung back for so long waiting for him to make a move on her but he hasn’t. We’re guys, we don’t talk about feelings and shit, but at a guess, he thinks he’s not worthy of her; which is stupid because if any guy is good enough for Ruby, it’s him. He’s as tough as nails, so he’d protect her fiercely, and he has a heart of gold that he’d worship her with. I’m not sure how he’ll react to the details. He’s my best mate and as much as he’ll want to be happy for me, I think he’ll be far from it.

  “Okay, you’re late in for Game of Thrones night and you ask me if I want a beer, something’s definitely on your mind.”

  Grabbing two bottles, I close the fridge and sit on the other end of the sofa. I crack both bottles open and pass one across to Ed.

  “Come on, tell Uncle Ed all about it.” he jokes, before taking a sip of beer.

  “Fucker!” Laughing, I punch him in the arm playfully, making him choke on the beer. “I was on a date—”

  “And you didn’t tell me about it beforehand,” he interrupts playfully, holding a hand to his heart. “I’m wounded.”

  “A date with Ruby.”

  The smile drops off his face instantly, but he doesn’t speak straightaway. I open my mouth to say something, anything, when he breaks his silence.

  “Good, you both deserve to be loved up with someone.” He doesn’t sound even a bit convincing. I brace myself waiting for his rage, but instead he presses play on the remote. “We better not make the Mother of Dragons wait any longer,” he adds, effectively ending the conversation.

  Thirteen

  SCARRED FOR LIFE

  RUBY

  Paddy and I have been dating for almost a month now. I had offered to cook a meal for everyone, but Alyssa and Wes wanted a quiet night in. Mum has taken the pregnant Selena under her wing and is having a girl’s night at Chloe’s apartment. Theo, Bel, Jared, Eddie, Paddy, and me manage to sit through a whole meal without too much tension. Eddie has been off with me for a while now. I don’t know what I’ve done to piss him off, but it’s got to be something because he’s fine with everyone else. Paddy insists that I should just leave him be, but I miss him. I miss the Eddie that had become a close friend. I leave the table clearing all the plates into the dishwasher.

  “Let’s stick a movie in,” Bel announces, dragging Theo into the lounge room.

  I close the dishwasher, switch it on and move to follow Bel and Theo. Holding me back, Paddy pulls me into his warm embrace.

  “The meal was lovely, angel, you did good,” he says, before kissing me senseless. My heart would be a flutter at the term of endearment if the kiss weren’t sending it into overdrive. Our lips part and once I have enough sense to breathe again, I register Eddie talking behind us.

  “I need a fucking drink!” he snaps, pushing past us and heading for the front door. Long gone is the caring Eddie who nursed me through my drunken state. I step away from Paddy, ready to go after him and find out what the hell is going on when Jared places a hand on my shoulder to hold me back.

  “I’ll go. Wait up, Ed, I could do with a good drink myself,” he shouts, as he follows in Ed’s wake.

  “What’s his problem?” I grumble, not really expecting an answer. He’s ruined the good feeling I had from Paddy’s kiss.

  Lifting my chin with a finger, Paddy gently presses his lips against mine before pulling back millimetres. “Stop worrying and kiss me!” he demands, before taking my lips once again.

  Who am I to argue with a demand like that?

  “Are you going to kiss all night or are you going to watch this movie?” Bel shouts from the lounge. Movie or kiss? We both pull away with a groan and head for the lounge.

  “We chose ‘Expendables 3,’” Bel reports, as we take a seat on the sofa. With Bel and Theo cuddled up on the other sofa, it’s a good job Eddie and Jared left, they would’ve looked funny cuddled up on the smaller two-seater sofa. Bel doesn’t wait for us to get comfortable before she presses play.

  * * *

  The movie finishes in no time. Hearing an intimate giggle I glance over in my brother’s direction, regretting it the instant my eyes land on the loved up couple with their hands happily roaming over each other’s body, not caring that they aren’t alone.

  “Do you have to do that so publicly?” I complain, half-heartedly. You can’t be too begrudging, not when you see how much they love each other.

  “She’s right, let’s go to bed,” Bel suggests.

  Theo groans without moving. “I’m comfy here.”

  “We could be naked and comfortable in bed,” Bel says, with a knowing smirk. Another visual I didn’t need. Living with my brother is going to scar me for life.

  “Well, if you put it that way,” he says, as he gets up and throws Bel, who lets out a squeal, over his shoulder.

  Both Paddy and I watch them leave, once they’re out of sight and I can no longer hear them, Paddy turns to me with a smile. “I love seeing them like that.”

  Surprised by his comment, I joke, “Whatever floats your boat.”

  “No,” he laughs. “It makes me look forward to being mated one day. Hopefully soon.” I would say the look that crosses his face is almost a shy one.

  I glance back at the door my brother and Bel left through and smile. “Me too,” I say absently. To have that bond, that connection with someone, must be incredible. For a second, I hope that Paddy is thinking about us when he imagines himself with his mate because I am.

  Fourteen

  THE ONE

  PADDY

  The look on Ruby’s face, as she turns in the direction the loved-up couple went, gives me the confidence to throw a corny line at her. “Do you know, that sexy dress of yours will look fantastic on my bedroom floor?”

  She swallows nervously. “Well, we might just have to test that theory out,” she says playfully. The way she’s blinking up at me all innocently, I can’t help but pull her into my lap and kiss her deeply. She breaks the kiss and catches her breath. “What did I do to deserve that?”

  “Nothing. Since when do I need a reason to kiss the woman I love?” I ask back. The shock on her face makes me go over my words again. I just told her I love her.

  She recovers her composure quickly. “When you put it that way, you don’t need one.” Leaning into me she gives me a quick peck on the lips before jumping up and grabbing my hand. “Come on then, you better drive quickly because I need to show you how much I love you, and I can’t do that with my brother and his freaky wolf hearing under the same roof.” My wolf perks up at the admission. Grateful that she thought of her brother’s hearing, I allow her to pull me up and lead me to the car.

  The drive over to mine is a quiet one. It’s a comfortable silence, though. I use the time to tell my wolf to hang back and allow Ruby to take the lead. We’ve refrained from being intimate up until now for various reasons; one being that Ruby hasn’t had good experiences with sex in the past. There’s no way I want to pressure her into anything she isn’t ready for. In the heat of the moment, she’s pushed for more a few times, but I know from some times, in the heat of the moment you’ll agree to things you’ll regret later.

  We pull up in the drive and Ruby gives a little gasp at the sight of Ed’s Ute parked before us.

  “He’s out for the night. You saw the mood he was in, he probably won’t be back until the early hours of the morning,” I reassure her.

  “Sorry, I just panicked because of his hearing and everything,” she explains.

  We exit the car and I let us in the house. I barely have the door closed before she jumps in my arms, wrapping her arms and legs around my body, and kissing me thoroughly.

  I stride through the house blindly, until we stumble into my bedroom. I break the heated kiss, pl
acing her gently on the bed. She looks up at me with her dilated eyes and swollen lips.

  “You’re beautiful,” I tell her, as I take a step back. I’m barely holding onto my wolf. He’s never wanted someone so much before. We can’t claim her, not our first time. My wolf throws himself at me in anger. I take another step back. “Are you sure you want this, Ruby? We can wait,” I assure her.

  She stands, and walks toward me with slow, sure steps. “I’m sure. I’m not a virgin, but my past experiences haven’t exactly been consensual, I’m ready for it to be. And you’re the one I want my first time to be with,” she says, lifting her dress over her head. “Now get naked so I can show you how ready I am.”

  Her nakedness, the smell of her arousal, and her words ruin my resolve. I strip before she gets within touching distance, shredding my clothes from my body.

  She bites her lip as her eyes roam my body hungrily.

  Not able to keep my hands off her any longer, I pull her into my arms and pin her beneath me on the bed, ready to show her how good sex can be, when it’s with someone who loves you.

  Fifteen

  FROM HEAVEN TO HELL IN A SECOND

  PADDY

  Feeling a small body snuggle into me wakes me from my slumber. I glance down at Ruby as she uses my arm as a pillow and I can’t help but wonder how comfortable that could really be?

  I’m surprised to find I don’t regret last night, not one bit. I’d been holding off on taking our relationship that step further because I wanted to make sure I was ready to take her as a mate. Looking at her now, I can’t imagine waking up with anyone else again.

  I watch as her green eyes pop open and she smiles up at me nervously. “Morning, beautiful,” I state, trying to relieve her nerves.

  “Hi. I can’t believe I look very beautiful right now,” she says with a giggle, trying to bury her face in my bicep.

  “You always look beautiful,” I announce truthfully.

  She lifts her head and looks at me seriously. “Thank you.” Leaning to me she places her lips against mine in a gentle kiss. I deepen the kiss before she can pull away, worrying about morning breath.

  Ed’s fist banging on the door as he passes causes us to break apart. “Wake up sleepyhead. We’re going for a run, remember?” he says, as he closes the bathroom door.

  “Do you have to go?” Ruby complains. “I’m sure we can come up with another form of exercise without even having to leave the bed.”

  “As tempting as that is, Ed will kill me if I stand him up,” I say, kissing her on the head and pull my arm from under her. I hear Ed leave the bathroom. I quickly grab some clothes so I can jump in the shower and wash away the smell of all we’d been up to last night. I don’t want Ed and other weres picking up on what we’ve been doing.

  By the time I make it back into the bedroom Ruby is dressed in the sexy brown dress she’d been wearing yesterday; the one that got her into my bed in the first place. She pulls the covers tidy over the bed, leaning over to brush one stubborn corner. Sneaking up behind her, I grab the thigh she’s unintentionally flashing, making her jump.

  “You know, I really like this dress,” I say, my hand working its way a little higher.

  “Ah huh, you have a run to go on, remember? You lost all rights to touching when you turned down my offer of a day in bed,” she says, giggling as she ducks under my arm and makes a run for through the door.

  I follow her through the tiny house heading for the kitchen, taking slow and deliberate steps trying to keep my wolf calm because he likes the chase. I don’t want him to start thinking of her as prey. One close call this year is enough, I don’t need that embarrassment repeated. I’ll never live it down. As soon as she reaches the doorway, I grab her around the waist and pull her back against my front. She squeals as I nuzzle at her neck.

  “I’ve got you, now what shall I do with you?”

  “I’ve told you, you gave up the chance of having me in bed all day. So get all those dirty ideas out of your head,” Ruby says, as I reluctantly let her go; remembering too late we aren’t the only ones in the room. I look up and catch Ed’s nostrils flare before he storms out of the house, without saying a word to either of us. He’d be able to smell last night on Ruby. I shouldn’t be surprised by his reaction, I know he wanted Ruby for himself. He hasn’t said so, but I can see it in the way he watches her. It’s the same way I watch her.

  “Why does he hate me so much?” Ruby complains, watching the closed door Eddie stormed out of. “It’s as if he can’t even stand to be in the same room as me anymore. He was the first pack member that saw me as me, and not just Theo’s kid sister.”

  I wish she didn’t care what he thought about her, but it’s something that’s never going to change, they both care about each other too much and they can’t even see it. I’m now kicking myself for taking it that step further last night. I’d be lying if I said that wanting to make sure I was ready for a mate was the only thing holding me back. The thought of Ed and his feelings for her are evident to me, no matter how well he tries to hide it. Plus, it was pretty common knowledge that Ruby had a crush on him a while back; they played a big part in my waiting. I should never have slept with her. I was kidding myself thinking it would work between Ruby and me.

  “He doesn’t hate you, that’s the problem,” I say, pacing across the small kitchen. My wolf is pulsing at my skin as he picks up on my agitation.

  This isn’t going to work; I’m not the one she loves.

  If I don’t stop this now we’re all going to walk away with broken hearts, and that’s with the hope I’m not already too late.

  “I can’t do this anymore, last night was a mistake,” I blurt out, not giving myself time to back out of my decision.

  “What…what are you talking about?” Ruby asks, clearly confused by my outburst.

  I say the only thing that I know will send her running. “We can’t stay together anymore. I need to wait for my true mate. I need what Theo has.”

  Ruby is barely out the door when I pull my phone out and hit call to the one person I know can comfort her.

  Sixteen

  PUSHING THE WOLF DOWN

  EDDIE

  I wish I could be happy for them, but I just can’t. My wolf believes Ruby should be our mate and he’d happily tear Paddy to shreds to make that point perfectly clear and I’m not allowing him to kill my best mate.

  No fucking chance.

  If that means I have to leave the room or even the house, every time they enter all lovey-dovey smelling of sex, then that’s how it’s going to be. I don’t care how fucked up it is. It’s better than the other option.

  The vibration of my phone pulls my thoughts away from the argument I’m having with my wolf, and causes me to slow my pace to pull out my phone. Seeing Paddy’s name on the screen I consider not answering for a second, but duty to the pack and my best mate forces me to answer. “This better be good, I already need a fucking drink and it’s not even nine in the morning.”

  “You need to go find Ruby. She ran off and I can’t go after her.”

  “Fix your own damn problems, Paddy. Whatever you’ve done she’ll get over it soon enough. Just go after her,” I offer, knowing she won’t be mad at him for long, no matter what he’s done. She was head over heels with him this morning.

  “No, you don’t understand. We’re over. I was fooling myself from the start, she was always yours.”

  Hearing everything I need, I hang up and run back to the duplex hoping to catch her scent. It only takes me a couple of seconds to catch it and follow. It’s leading out of town and in to the surrounding bush. Walking through some trees I spot her, looking beautiful in the middle of the field with the mountains in front of her and her golden ringlets blowing in the wind.

  Once I reach her, I can hear her sobs. Turning Ruby around, I pull her into my chest. “Let it out, Rubes.”

  Time passes quietly as she lets all her tears out, with just the rustle of the wind in the trees and the g
rass, and the odd cockatoo calling its mate to be heard. “How could he do that? Why make love to me if he knew he wanted to find his true mate? Because no matter what he says now, he made love to me last night…” she pauses just long enough to take a breath before carrying on. “I thought he was going to take me as a mate, we’d talked about it.”

  A new wave of fresh tears start as she sobs into my chest once again. My heart tears in two at the thought of them making love. I should be the only one making love to her.

  “I don’t know why he’d do that, sweetheart, he’s a stupid dick.” My comment turns her sob into a giggle.

  “Where have you been?” she asks, looking up at me with her big green eyes.

  “I’ve been right here, waiting for you to need me,” I say as I kiss her on the forehead, feeling stripped bare by the look in her eyes.

  “I’ve always needed you, Eddie.”

  My breath catches with her words, and my wolf tries to take her as ours. Forcing him down, I squeeze her in our hug a little tighter not knowing how else to react without being inappropriate. She’s not going to want more than a friend right now. I just wish my wolf would understand that.

  We stand a while longer as she calms down. Her tears ease up, slowing their tracks down her cheeks. She pulls out of my hold and stands back from me, before silently walking over to a fallen tree and perching her arse on it. I follow her lead and do the same. Seeing I’m settled she turns her head to look at me, her whole demeanour changing.

  I feel the anger coming off her before she opens her mouth. “What did I do to make you treat me like shit over the last few weeks?”