She grimaced at the sharp, deep ache in her muscles that were actively protesting her plan to get out of bed. No way she’d be going for an early-morning jog to get the blood pumping today. Then again, a muffled sound from the living room jump-started her heart rate just fine.
Rose paused with her breath held to see whether she would hear it again. She did. There was no mistaking the muffled moan this time, and the implication set wild butterflies loose in her stomach.
So, she wasn’t alone after all. There were men in her living room, and from the sound of it, they weren’t exactly chatting.
Her heart hammered full speed ahead as she slipped silently out of bed, ignoring the grinding ache in her bones while she stood slowly enough to curb any more dizziness. A shiver ran through her, and she folded her arms over tight nipples while she shuffled naked to the door. A glance into the clothes hamper on the way widened her eyes. Damp, dirt-crusted slipper socks had been tossed in the laundry, along with the exact clothing she dreamed the men had peeled off her body. The chase had been real. The human parts of it, anyway.
Swallowing hard, she peered out the doorway to see a sight she knew in an instant that she would never, ever forget. Both men were naked, their muscles tense and rippling, while Stephen stood in front of a kneeling Caleb. From her vantage point, both men stood sideways, with Stephen angled slightly more toward her. She could study each of their profiles this way, along with the fact that Caleb was pulling his mouth away from Stephen’s wet, raging erection. It was obvious that he’d just been servicing the man’s cock.
Her stomach dropped several inches while she gaped at the red, glistening organ that jerked and bobbed in front of Caleb’s face.
“Do it now,” Caleb said, looking up at Stephen. “I can’t wait anymore.”
Rose’s pulse jumped right along with Stephen’s rod.
“Lie down,” Stephen ordered, his usual smooth tone gone.
Caleb started to twist around and get on all fours, but Stephen grabbed him by the top of his hair and yanked back firmly enough for Rose to wince in sympathy. Caleb, however, smiled and let out a little moan.
“No,” Stephen said. “On your back.”
Caleb twisted around and sat facing the other man, who bent down low over him.
“You gave me ten kinds of hell over this alpha thing,” Stephen went on with a smile that wasn’t necessarily pleasant. “So you’re going to face me and show me your belly while you take my cock—and my mark.”
Rose dug her fingers into her arms as his words penetrated right through the remainder of her sleepy haze. Her nipples tingled from a lot more than the morning chill now.
The furniture was back in place, except the coffee table had been shoved aside to give them space. Caleb used a fair amount of it to lay his perfect body down until he was flat on his back. Stephen knelt between the thighs Caleb parted for him.
Maybe she was incredibly naive in the ways of any sex, let alone what went on between two men, but she couldn’t quite envision what Stephen was about to do. Either way, her heart pounded with jealousy as she watched them get so incredibly intimate—especially at the thought that they’d left her bed in order to do it.
She turned away from the doorway and wandered back to sit on the edge of the mattress and stare into space. What was going on here? Caleb made no bones about what he wanted from her, and he’d proven it by giving her the biggest orgasm of her life. Stephen had come along moments later and asked her out right in front of Caleb. Then again, Caleb hadn’t been the slightest bit jealous about it, had he? And the looks the two of them had shared far surpassed those of mere male rivals.
A frown creased her forehead. There was no denying the truth. They were gay and getting it on in her apartment. Apparently, what had happened on the couch the day before had been nothing more than a mercy diddle on Caleb’s part. Maybe he felt sorry for her because she was a frigid weirdo who’d never had a man between her legs.
Her eyes widened. What if the whole couch thing had never happened? What if that, too, had been part of her bizarre dreams, just like the one she’d just been having about wolves with cowboy hats and lab coats? Hell, maybe she was sleepwalking right now, and the men weren’t even really in the other room.
A loud, sensual moan blew that theory apart. They were out there, all right. The dream theory made the most sense, then. It hadn’t been the first time she’d dreamed of a man who could melt her disinterest in sex with erotic fire. These men were so ungodly gorgeous that her concussed brain decided they would make fitting candidates. But it was clear that what the men really wanted was each other—enough to explore that attraction right on her living room rug. The only reason they’d come to her place was to check on her, and then they had stayed overnight to keep her from running out the door in some wild hallucination. They probably hadn’t ever crawled into her bed at all. And Stephen had never asked her out, either.
“You’re so stupid,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Damn romantic fool.”
The noise in the living room grew more fevered. Her face grew hot and her breathing shallow as she listened to their raging arousal. The desire to sneak back and spy some more took her hard enough to make her grip the bedcovers with her fists, but the bitter disappointment over how wrong she’d been about them hit her even harder. What she wouldn’t give to be in Caleb’s place right now. Or better yet, to be right in the middle of them.
“I’m right at the edge,” she heard Caleb say. “Fuck me hard.”
Her heart gave a stomach-churning lurch.
“I’ll bite you hard,” Stephen replied.
The word “bite” shot her eyes open wide. He didn’t mean that literally, did he?
She was halfway back to the door without even realizing she’d gotten to her feet again. What she saw gave her a chill. Stephen had gone from blatantly aroused to fiercely aggressive. The muscled striations in his upper arms bulged with effort as he supported his body over Caleb’s, staring down at the man with piercing, red-gold eyes. Jesus, the intense, inhuman glow seemed so real.
Caleb’s legs were spread wide and pulled back while Stephen pounded his pelvis against Caleb’s ass. Mixed in with their wicked moans were feral sounds, snarls, and growls that added to the air of animal lust. Tendrils of that primal need reached out for her, threatening to pull her in. She clutched the doorframe to hold herself back.
Stephen’s usually well-tamed hair fell into sexy, damp strands over his forehead as he held himself above his lover, and he tossed his head to shake back bangs.
“Say it, Caleb Green,” he said through a tight jaw as he pressed his hips tight to Caleb. “Tell me who you are.”
“I’m yours,” Caleb said, sounding fairly out of breath. “Make your mark on me, Alpha. The matter’s decided.”
The growl Stephen let out held a ring of victory. When his jaw began lengthening again, Rose slapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a gasp of shock. When would the hallucinations end?
Her eyes bulged wide as she watched him open wide to display deadly sharp fangs, which he promptly used when he lowered his head and sank them into Caleb’s right shoulder. She felt the pain of that bite as palpably as if she’d experienced it herself, and her stomach nearly dropped out of her body at the sound of Caleb’s scream. Stephen clapped a hand over it to muffle the sound.
Moisture prickled her eyes, which she closed tight to block out the sheer, animal violence of Stephen’s actions. She opened them again seconds later, however, when Caleb’s yell of presumed agony was no longer muffled. It was highly erotic.
He arched his back while he grabbed Stephen’s head and held it to his shoulder, extending the bite. He called Stephen’s name over and over, and then he stiffened. “God, I’m comin’!” he shouted.
The orgasm that followed made Rose’s dream version on the couch seem little better than a momentary shudder. His entire body seemed to seize up while Stephen’s round, flexing ass cheeks drove him harder. Stephen stiffened an
d released his tooth-hold on Caleb’s shoulder. When he threw his head back to cry out in obvious climax, Rose saw the blood smearing his fangs and mouth. She felt her stomach clench in fright, and she made a hasty retreat back to her bed. If he was this out of control, what might he to do her next?
Her heart pounded furiously as she wished there was a secret passage leading from her bedroom out of the apartment. Even if she wanted to risk darting past the men to get to the front door, she was completely naked this time. Better to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing and hope this nightmare would go away. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she’d go back to sleep and discover all of it was a dream.
Her feet throbbed with cold as she ducked low under the covers, rolled away from the door, and squeezed her eyes shut tight. Her pulse wouldn’t cooperate with the attempt to feign sleep, and neither would her breathing. Both were ragged and frantic as she laid there, desperately listening for signs that the men were stirring. What an ironic time for her bladder to point out—rather insistently—that she hadn’t peed since yesterday. She grimaced and ignored nature’s call.
Long moments passed with nothing but utter silence, until she was almost ready to concede that hitting her head had indeed sent her stark, raving mad. Then the rustling sounds of movement returned, and she held her heaving breaths so she could hear better.
“The mark took.” That was Stephen’s voice.
“Hell yeah, it did. I feel it sendin’ signals all over my body.”
“So can I. The bond is sealed.”
“Guess it’s official, then. Against my better judgment, I got myself a new alpha.”
“Third time’s the charm.”
“What about Rose?” She jerked at the sound of her name on Caleb’s lips. “Think she heard anythin’?”
“I doubt it. She was exhausted. Let’s check on her, anyway.”
Panic stabbed through her middle while she heard them getting dressed, and she willed herself to draw even, slow breaths so she wouldn’t give herself away. She felt the presence of the men looming in her doorway before she heard them.
“Told you,” Stephen whispered. “Sound asleep.”
“Thought concussions meant you shouldn’t let ’em sleep.”
“Just the first night.”
Their voices drifted back to the living room, joined by the metallic clink of belt buckles. No doubt they were getting dressed. She let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“I’d love nothing more than to join you for a shower and breakfast,” Stephen was saying, “but I’ve got to start rounds pretty soon. And you probably shouldn’t stay with her.”
“I wasn’t plannin’ to laze around here all day. Contrary to the idea that you’re the only cowboy who found himself other work, I’m gainfully employed myself.”
“Doing what?”
“Clearin’ brush and haulin’, mostly. Me and my truck may not pull down a doctor’s wage, but we carry our own weight.”
“Didn’t mean to sound otherwise. Do you have time for a cup of coffee at the hospital cafeteria?”
Just the mention of coffee sent her bladder into spasms, and she clenched her thighs.
“One cup, if you’re buyin’. Should we wake Rose and tell her we’re goin’?”
“No, she needs rest. Leave her a note.”
A couple minutes of relative silence followed, and at last she heard the front door squeak open and closed. In case they decided to come back, she kept still for a few minutes—except for squirming around in a horizontal potty dance.
As soon as she was convinced it was safe, she shoved back the covers, grabbed her blue silk robe, and raced for the bathroom. Standing at the sink after bowing to her bladder’s demand, she indulged a good look at herself.
Christ, what a sight! Her burgundy-from-a-bottle hair hung limply over her collarbones, and her pale eyes looked muddied and dazed. Her face still bore the scabbed skid marks from the air bag, too. Pulling her robe open, she saw that the diagonal seat belt bruise had turned bluish, with ugly, jaundice-yellow patches here and there.
“No wonder they didn’t want you,” she told her reflection. “They’d probably never been gay in their lives until they saw this. One look scared them right over the rainbow.”
And so what if she had? It was better that way, wasn’t it? Better than getting tangled up in a romantic mess and earning herself some idiotic nickname people would whisper behind her back.
“What would yours be?” she asked the mirror. “Often-Wed Wendy is already taken. Maybe Ridiculously Randy Rose?”
With a sigh, she belted her robe and wandered out to the oddly empty living room. The furniture had been carefully replaced like nothing had ever happened. When she spied the paper lying on the table, she hastened over to it.
Rose,
Stephen and I stayed overnight to make sure you were okay, but we had to go to work. The doc says you need lots of rest, so we’ll leave you alone and let you have at it. I gave you my number yesterday, so call if you need anything.
Love,
Caleb
PS-the doc also says no more late-night jogging.
“Love,” she said with a snort. “Yeah, right. Same to you.”
Her suspicions were right, then. They’d only been here to make sure she didn’t have another freak-out. Now they had each other and would happily leave her alone.
She frowned at the paper, which was creased into thirds and oddly familiar. She flipped the page over and stared at the other side.
“Stephen’s letter of termination,” she breathed.
That part had been real, too, though obviously not the part where he’d asked to date her. God, what if she’d been incoherent enough to say something about her delusions? The men had been forced to chase her down, after all. What other embarrassing things had she’d done?
She groaned and dropped the letter back on the table. Taking the men’s advice seemed like the smartest thing she could do right now. She headed back to bed, determined to fall into a heavy sleep. With any luck, she wouldn’t wake up again until her world made some kind of sense.
Chapter Six
Rose smiled at a nurse who was passing the opposite direction as they pushed their medication carts along the busy hall. Oh, it felt good to be back at work. The familiar motions of measuring pills, drawing up insulin, and performing assessments offered the sense of routine she’d been missing since she came to Shay Falls. The doctor in the emergency department had vetoed work for an additional two days, but she was here now, scabs healed, bruises largely faded, and the headaches subsided to a dull, occasional roar.
She stopped in front of her patient’s room and blanked the attached computer screen for privacy before grabbing a pair of gloves and a pre-filled syringe.
“I’m back with your antibiotic, Mr. Pierce,” she said, giving the old man a bright smile as she snapped on her gloves and moved to the bedside.
“About time,” the man groused, though his bushy brows and floppy jowls lifted from their usual scowling position. “You said you’d be back at noon.”
“And it’s five after,” she said, loading the syringe into an infuser pump. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
Rheumy eyes shot her a wary look. “Eh, I know you’re busy. You guys always look busy, running back and forth in front of my door twenty-four hours a day while I lie here like a lump.” He eyed her while she turned the pump on. “Your name is Rose, right? I don’t remember seeing you run around out there before.”
The infuser beeped acknowledgement that it was working properly. “That’s because I’m new. It’s my first day.”
He snorted, a thick sound that attempted to sound intimidating. “Great. A student nurse.”
She offered a wry grin. “Oh, no. It’s my first day here at Shay Falls Community. But I’ve been a nurse for four years.”
“Thank God.” He shifted in bed, trying to arrange his pillow behind him. “The last thing I need is a rookie who doesn’t know which end to shove
the thermometer in. I’ve spent enough years being a medical practice dummy.”
She grinned while she helped him find a better position. “Speaking of which, your doctor called to order more lab work before he comes in to see you after clinic.”
“More tests. Always more tests.”
“And he wants a better IV access line for your medications, too. I asked him if it was okay to wait on the labs until the new midline is in place, and he agreed. That way, blood can be drawn right out of the port so you won’t get poked again.”
Now he smiled. “A nurse with brains and beauty? I think it might be love.”
A glance into his plastic pitcher showed it was near empty. “I’ll be back with some fresh ice water. The doctor wants to increase your fluid intake.”
“Tell him I’ve got plenty of water to drink at home, if he ever decides to let me out of here.”
On her way out, the man called after her. “Hey, Rose?”
She turned to him. “Something else you needed?”
“Yeah, to thank you. Sorry if I gave you a hard time.”
She allowed herself a satisfied smile as she headed to the ice machine for a refill. She’d heard the snickers when she’d been assigned to Mr. Pierce, who apparently enjoyed sharing his bad mood with everyone who darkened his door. Grouchy patients didn’t bother her, though. Sick people were her business, and sick people were rarely in the best of moods. She simply had to figure out the right approach, and then most of the hardened grousers would turn to putty in her hands—especially male patients. It was something she’d always been good at, and a handy skill that eased her patients’ suffering.
The staff lounge was adjacent to the kitchen, and she was about to pass the door when she thought she heard her name. She paused just out of sight to listen.
“Who, that new girl?” one of the nurses was saying. “She seems really sharp.”
“I’ll say,” a nurse named Susan replied. “Rose jumped right in and was working the computer system and finding supplies on her own. She actually offered to help me when I complained I was behind on charting.”
Disobedient Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7
