by Scott, Talyn
“What do you have to do with this?” Troy sneered. Jayce was a hot shot. After his short-lived pro-football career, Jayce had skyrocketed to multimillionaire status with Jordan Marketing. He was well-known throughout the business world and an unchallenged womanizer. Although he admired his business sense, he had hated him since high school.
“I’m engaged to Tatum.” The sentence hung in the air for about sixty seconds. Jayce gave the dickhead time to adjust. It wasn’t a courtesy; he just enjoyed the startled look on his face.
“You’re engaged to Tatum Shirley,” Troy blinked a few times.
The human mind was slower to understand, so Jayce gave him a couple more seconds. “As Gage explained earlier, Bren Walker and I have assumed the bills that you screwed her over with. We don’t want you near her, hence the restraining order.” Actually, the restraining order was for Troy’s protection. If he neared her, the cops were notified, and he went to jail. That would probably save his life against the wolves. If a queen were to be mishandled, the pack joined forces and sought blood in honor of their Alpha.
“We?” Troy stammered and dropped the papers.
“You do remember Bren, right?”
“Sure.” A cold smile played his lips. “The rumors didn't do you justice. I knew you were a male whore,” he shrugged. “I just didn’t know Bren played in your sandbox.”
“You don’t know anything,” Jayce didn’t take the bait. It was a shame that he couldn’t take him out back and have an old fashioned territorial battle. It would be very unfair. Even if Jayce could hold back his werewolf, his human side was stronger than any male around. “You aren’t to go near her family. Does Renee ring a bell?”
“She’s my sister n law, so I paid her a visit. There aren’t any laws against that.”
Now he was in lawyer mode. “You frightened her. You told her that you were taking Tatum or did that slip your memory?”
“She’ll come back to me.”
“Said the pirate on his sinking ship,” Jayce mused aloud. “You have a warped vision of marriage. You protect what is yours. Provide for your wife, not the other way around. Especially,” Jayce curled his lip, “the way you had her making ends meet. You nauseate me. I have no qualms with peeling the flesh from your bones and feeding it to the local gators. However, Bren and I have decided to handle things legally, as we always do. You’ll leave and not go near her or her family. Ever,” he emphasized with a snarl that could wake the dead.
“It’s not over,” Troy raised to his full height, as he snatched the papers from the table.
“Don’t do the ‘it’s not over thing’,” Jayce shook his head. “Don’t go where you’re not wanted.”
“She wants me,” he fiercely protested and walked away.
“You let him have the last word,” Bane watched Troy leave.
“I have what I want,” Jayce downed Bane’s drink. “He’s lost everything.”
“Out of stupidity,” Gage drawled. “How could he…,” he caught himself. His true emotions were going to erupt and put a strain on his relationship with Jayce.
Jayce eyed Bane. “Where’s Tatum’s sister?”
“Renee’s on the third floor watching an in-house movie and planning my death,” he flashed a devilish smile.
Jayce met his smile with a broad one of his own, “Persuasion not working out for you?” It was hilarious, since no one ever turned down Bane. “She’s one tough female; first time for everything, my man.”
“The night is still young,” he absently pulled at a chunk of inky hair.
“Speaking of the young night,” Jayce ventured. “I don’t want Renee to interrupt us tonight. Got it?”
“Got it, Alpha; you still need some down time with your female. I’ll handle Renee and the pack.” Bane unfolded himself from the chair and headed to the third floor.
Gage shook his head in agreement. “Nothing will fall through the cracks. I’m going to get some rest, before I head back to the East coast.”
“Later, my man,” Jayce shook his hand.
“Again, congratulations,” Gage walked towards the elevators.
Jayce signaled Jody. She sashayed over with a seductive smile. He frowned at her body language. Obviously, Tatum wasn’t over thinking it or extremely insecure. Jody was outwardly projecting her interest. Even though the three were moving to Miami soon, he couldn’t have his mate upset or unsure of their fidelity. No doubt, Jody was pretty. She could hunt somewhere else and obtain a respectable male, since he and Bren were not interested in the least. No one could compare to Tatum. “Please, have Claude prepare a dinner for three to be served on the beachfront lanai. Close that section off, so that we can have privacy. He needs to know….”
“Ms. Shirley is allergic to seafood,” she interrupted. “Of course, sir,” she forced a smile and hurried away.
Tatum felt hot, musky flesh as it pressed against her hip. “You’re awake,” Bren whispered against her neck. He always found the most sensitive parts on her body and tackled them with the force of an unchallenged warrior. “How’s the future Mrs. Jordan-Walker? Did you sleep well?” he accompanied his questions with a languorous hip thrust.
“How does that work…the legality?” She was melting into him. Honestly, she didn’t give a rat’s behind about legality, right now.
“Just as everything else in your life, we’ll take care of it. No worries,” he bit Tatum's shoulder and gave it a slight shake with his startling, white teeth.
“I’m not stupid,” she whined and almost forgot what they were discussing. Bren had traveled to her love-burned nipples. Stretching, her body felt deliciously battered.
“I wouldn’t want you to be stupid.” With the flat of his wicked tongue, he licked a hard point to the depths of sexual pain. “I would still love you, though. Nothing could alter the love I have for you. We simply want to take care of all your needs. In bed,” he ran a hand between her breasts and braced it around her throat, “in finances, in health and all other necessities. You are ours to care for. Don’t make something complicated when it’s quite simple, Tatum. I’ll have to give you a real spanking if you do,” he sucked her breast to the end of his throat. She cried out, as her womb cramped in response.
He released her breast with an audible pop. “Could anything alter the love that you have for us?” he braced his body atop hers, all six and a half feet of dark, luscious man. Although he kept most of his weight on his elbows and knees, the negligible bulk and delicious warmth of his hard body soaked through to her core. The bluest of eyes gleamed as the rush of liquid seeped her womb and pooled at her nether lips.
“No,” his palm still possessively wrapped around her throat. Interestingly enough, it was turning her on. Who would have thought that boring, poor Tatum, who had spent years without an orgasm, would find the love of two men that could rock her into the next millennium? “Nothing could change the way I feel about you or Jayce,” she lifted her hips.
His smile was sure and knowing. Dipping his head, he captured her mouth with a primal heat that tore through her body. He didn’t wait for her to respond, and simply took what he desired. Gave her what he thought she needed and spun her body into a desperate whirl. “This isn’t where you want my mouth, is it Tatum?” he hadn’t released her throat. He was wild, hard, and wicked. Even in the dimness of the room, she could see the raw hunger in his eyes.
“Love me, Bren,” she was torn between fear and desire. It was a common feeling that came with sexual encounters and Bren. He released her, flipped the bedside lamp back on, and freed the sheet from her body. Contorted with lust, his face silently spoke of untold promises and savage wishes. Once again, he lowered himself onto her body. By any means, she wasn’t small. Next to Bren, she was as petite as she could get.
“Tell me where you want my mouth,” he kissed the line of her jaw. Then, the edge of his teeth traveled across her neck and stopped at the pulse point. “We have to get over this shyness, Tatum. I know that if I place my hand where it
wants to go, I’ll find a puddle of wetness underneath your sweet bottom. Therefore, lying is not an option. Answer the question, truthfully, and I will oblige,” he sucked her frantic pulse point. She had the strangest desire for him to bite her.
“I want your mouth between my legs,” she rushed the words. They had seen everything, and she meant everything, that she had. Still, Tatum shied to voice the request.
Sweetly, languidly he kissed her lips.
“I’m confused,” she whispered.
“I thought we had settled any confusion that you may have,” he stilled and studied her. A predatory stare that didn’t frighten her the way it should have.
“It’s my reactions to your body. My lack of fear at being married to two men and facing the world. My need for strange…things,” she mustered and stopped.
“Our reactions to one another are normal. We’re in love, an eternal love that no one can break. Facing the world is not a concern. When you have the money that Jayce and I do, people will roll out the red carpet wherever you go. Thirdly, what strange things are you referring to?” He encircled her waist and pulled her close. “Nothing between us, remember?”
“Biting,” she shivered against him. “I want you to bite me, and I don’t know why,” she groaned. “Earlier, with Jayce, I went into this crazy sexual frenzy. That guy, Gage, was really there, and I didn’t even care.” She rubbed her jaw against his chest an unconscious desire for his scent to be on her body. “What’s happening to me?”
“You’re desires are natural. It’s who you are,” he kissed the top of her head. “It’s who we are. As far as biting you, I want that too. Soon, so very soon,” he lowered himself to her apex. “I’m going to suck your flesh between my aching teeth,” he licked her protruding clit with his thick, sandpaper tongue. “I’m going to suckle you,” he pulled her rosy lips between his canines and drew the juicy folds into his scorching mouth. “And I’m going to mark you as mine.” Against his face, he wildly pressed her opening with a low-pitched growl that filled the emptiness of the room. He seized her thighs and held her captive.
She couldn’t escape the crazy onslaught of the raw nerves that singed the surface of her skin. Repeatedly, Bren nipped, licked, scraped, and emitted vibrations into her body’s center. Nearly her undoing, she vaguely blacked out. Stars dotted Tatum's eyes, as pleas of desperation wrenched her throat. It was a worship of the flesh, and she was drowning in it. He was drowning in her. He reared up, split her legs, and penetrated her sweltering, silky heat. If any were to misunderstand who belonged inside her, they wouldn’t any longer. He owned every square inch of her. With every hard bump that met her cervix, she lost another part of her heart to Bren.
“Who’s inside you, Tatum,” he hissed.
“Bren Walker,” she cried.
“Open your eyes,” he ordered. “Say the words.”
“I love you,” she gulped for air, as she climaxed.
“Say the rest,” he was growling from above her, as a mysterious beast looming over his prey. “Tell me what I want to hear, damn it,” his jaw tightened in dark warning.
“I love you, and nothing will ever change that,” her mind sailed backwards, as her body slowly drifted. Then, there was nothing.
In the back of her mind, she thought she heard ‘good girl’. Although she wasn’t sure. Jayce’s voice crept into her psyche. “What the hell did you do to her?” his irritation directed at Bren. “She needed rest.”
“I gave her what she needed,” Bren withdrew and collapsed beside her.
“Fucker,” Jayce spat, “you didn’t save any for me.”
“There’s plenty for you,” Bren stroked Tatum’s thigh, as he nuzzled her hip.
“I heard her screams, before I even entered the building,” Jayce’s eyes widened. “I think she broke the sound barrier.”
Chapter 16
“Tell me again why we have to eat?” Tatum followed the play of Jayce’s muscles beneath his shirt. The strength of his body amazed her. Still, the grace of his movements showered his body as nimble water over smooth stone. Comfortable with his size, he handled her with precise delicacy that made her feel as a fragile, priceless work of art; one that obviously meant the world to him.
Sitting on the lanai; Tatum, whether she wanted to eat it or not, was fed a late dinner. Bren and Jayce took turns plying her with bites from their plates. Claude had prepared a delicious meal of grilled chicken, vegetables, homemade rosemary bread, her favorite watermelon and feta salad and a sinful chocolate mousse for dessert. She wanted to skip everything and hit the dessert. After a resounding no from her two fiancées, she bucked up and ate the healthy stuff.
“We need sustenance to handle your demanding sexual appetite, Tatum,” Bren struggled to appear serious.
“Yeah, little hellcat, I heard mewls and screams outside of the building. What was that?” he kissed the tip of her nose and playfully smacked her hands away from the mousse. Truth be told, with his werewolf hearing, she was audible from inside the restaurant. Bane, Gage, as well as the others kept their casual dispositions.
“Really?” she bit her lip and flushed. When Jayce and Bren turned towards a noise coming from the beach side, she snuck a mouthful of mousse. Actually, she snuck a couple of bites of mousse. Claude, the infallible chef, had bombed. She wouldn’t be adding inches on her hips tonight with this one. She pushed the chocolate away and latched onto a piece of bread.
“I saw that, honey,” Jayce wrapped his palm around her throat and stilled her for a kiss. Making a face, he looked at his friend. “Bren, Claude needs to take mousse off the menu.”
“I’ve had it before, it’s usually perfect,” he dipped the tip of a spoon in the bowl. Before he could taste it, a voice drifted through the screen of the lanai.
“I’ve had it before as well, she is perfect.”
She knew that voice all too well; Tatum felt icy fingers claw her body. To her rising alarm, Jayce and Bren didn’t seem the least bit surprised. Slowly, they stood and pushed her behind them. A massive wall of male kept her from seeing Troy Hillman, her ex-husband.
“Did I not make myself clear a couple of hours ago?” Jayce rippled with barely restrained anger. He didn’t want Troy near his mate. Troy had been inside her body and had kept her from him for years. In the restaurant, speaking with him had been difficult enough. Right now, in the proximity of his mate, he felt the threat, as his beast rose to meet the challenge.
Mine, his wolf snarled.
Ours, Jayce corrected. He was fighting his beast, as the spraying instinct was taking over, clouding his mind.
Bren had a slightly easier time of it. His scent was stronger all over Tatum, since he had recently ejaculated in her core. His werewolf was more satisfied and better controlled. “Go home, Troy,” Bren ordered. Deadly calm, the quiet warning in Bren’s voice furthered the chills on Tatum’s body.
Like a fool, Troy opened the door to the lanai and invited himself in. “I want to hear it from her. I want to say what I’ve come to say, and I won’t leave until she hears me out.”
“I want to talk to him,” she placed her hands on Jayce’s back. He didn’t budge. “Please, I need the closure that I was denied.”
Bren eyed Jayce with wordless communication. After Jayce’s features settled into a thin resolve, Bren reached behind him - without taking his eyes from Troy- and pulled her to the front. With his fists gripped at his sides, Jayce remained in an attacking stance. Meanwhile, Bren soothed Tatum’s bare shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She never had the impression that she was allowed to move any further. They didn’t say it, because they didn’t have to. “Express what you need to, love.”
“Love?” Troy questioned. “It’s no doubt that you’ve lusted for her for years. Love,” he laughed without humor, “has nothing to do with your relationship. You’re twisted and sick,” he loosened his collar and took in Tatum’s appearance. She was breathtaking. With a form-fitting, costly gown, shimmering skin and cascading hair,
she was a captivating vision before him.
Tatum questioned, “Twisted and sick? You, son of a bitch, are the sickest, most twisted person that I know. I can’t believe that I ever loved you,” she tried to step forward, although, Bren had other ideas. “You give new meaning to the word selfish. And if I ever lay eyes on you again, it will be too soon.”
“You can’t mean all of that,” he gave her a heated look and reached for her.
In Troy’s eyes, she saw lust and evil, not love. “You never cared for me at all,” Tatum shook her head. “You screwed everything that moved and put me on display for the world to see.”
“Just come home and we’ll work it out. Obviously, their wealth is a draw for you, since they’re paying your bills,” he gave Bren and Jayce a disgusted look. “They’re trying to own you.”
