by Becca Van
As soon as he stepped into the office, her scent wrapped around him once more, taking his breath away. He sidled up to her and listened as she conversed with the elderly woman behind the counter. She was asking about employment. Joy filled his heart, because if she found work, that meant she was going to be staying in Aztec, at least for a while.
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t have any positions available right now,” the elderly woman replied.
“Well, thanks anyway,” his mate said.
Roan couldn’t let such an opportunity pass him by, so when she began to turn to head out, he quickly sidestepped, and she bumped right into him.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you standing there,” she apologized.
Fuck. Her voice had a low, husky cadence which immediately put his mind in the gutter. He wondered if it would go lower when she was aroused or on the verge of climax. And her eyes were what he thought would be called bedroom eyes. Her lids looked like they were half-closed, the dark, sooty lashes giving her a sensual appeal, and her irises were a deep, soulful brown.
“No problem,” he rasped. “I couldn’t help overhearing that you’re looking for work. I have a job you may be interested in.”
“Oh?”
“My name is Roan Domain, and I work at the Aztec Club down the street. We have need for a waitperson if you’re interested. Room and board are provided in the package,” he stated, extending his hand to her.
She took his proffered hand, and he saw those sexy eyelids flicker up. Her eyes seemed to light from within, and her pupils dilated slightly. Tugging her hand away from him as if he’d burned her, she licked her lips nervously, drawing his gaze to her mouth, and took a quick step back.
Oh yeah. She’d felt it, too. That little zing of electricity which had passed between them. His nostrils flared as his wolf picked up her scent of arousal and began butting at him from inside.
“Samantha Winters, but call me Sam,” she stated in a deep, husky voice, which grabbed hold of his cock, making it pulse against his zipper.
“Why don’t we go on over to the club and get some dinner? We can talk about the particulars, and you can ask what you want to know,” Roan suggested.
“Um, uh…sure.”
“Change of plans, guys. I’ve just made contact and offered her a job at the club. She’s coming to have dinner there with me to talk over the particulars,” Roan explained.
“We’re nearly there. We were just about to pass by,” Chet replied. “We’ll grab our usual table.”
“She’s nervous, so take it easy on her, Justin,” Roan commanded.
“I’m not stupid, Roan. I’m not going to boss her around.”
“Yeah well, that might be easier said than done, bro. Once she’s near, your wolf is gonna want to take over. And since you’re the eldest and the most dominant, I just want you to be prepared.”
“Just shut up and get over here,” Jason demanded with a growl.
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You need to back off tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Roan stepped up closer to Sam and took her elbow in his hand. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him, and he could see the apprehension in her gaze when her eyes connected with his.
“Come on, Samantha. Let’s go get some food,” Roan said and guided her out to his truck. Opening the passenger door, he noticed her eyeing the high step. Not giving her a chance to protest, he clasped her waist and lifted her onto the seat.
“Thanks,” she said in a higher-pitched voice.
“You’re welcome.” Roan closed the door and walked around to the truck, inhaling as much fresh air as he could so he could try and suppress his raging arousal. It was going to be pure torture in the confined space of his vehicle. The last thing he wanted was for his eyes to begin glowing in her vicinity.
Chapter Two
Sam wondered how she had ended up sitting between two tall, muscular, hunky men with another sitting across from her.
Roan had led her to a booth in the back of the club and introduced her to his brothers, Justin and Chet. Even though she was wary of them, she felt drawn to these men as well. When she had shaken both their hands, the zap of electricity she had felt with their brother had coursed through her body again. First Justin and then Chet had perused her body from head to toe, causing cream to leak from her pussy and her clit to throb. She had tried to withdraw from them and kept her voice cool, hoping they didn’t realize how they all affected her. But she was having a hard time hiding her arousal, and the sexual tension was so thick she could have cut it with a knife.
No matter how sexy the three of them were, though, she doubted she would even have given Roan the time of day if she hadn’t been so desperate for a job. She was over men and the way they treated women, and she’d had enough of the opposite sex to last her a lifetime. But these three men kept drawing her eyes back to them again and again.
Shit, Roan was so damn hot, with his shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. As she was short, his height of six two made her feel small and petite. She had never thought about how she felt next to tall men until now, when she was surrounded by them. Roan had wide shoulders which tapered down to a slim, taut abdomen and hips with long, lithe legs and looked strong and muscular in a rangy, athletic type of way.
His brother, Chet, looked to be the youngest of the three but also the tallest at about six foot six. He moved to the end of his seat and stood, staring at her. She slid her gaze away, in case he thought she was ogling him, to where she wrung her fingers and glanced upward at him through her lashes. His tight T-shirt accentuated the rippling muscles beneath the cotton as he shifted, and he looked at her expectantly. His hair was a dark brown, almost the color of chocolate, and his eyes were hazel, a mix of green with brown and gold flecks.
“What would you like to drink, darlin’?” Chet asked.
Goose bumps rose on her skin as the deep cadence of his voice washed over her, and she squirmed in her seat when her pussy clenched and leaked juices onto her panties. God, Sam, what the hell? You’ve only just met these men and your body’s ripening from the sound of their voices. Get a grip, girl!
“W–Water, please,” she answered, hearing the breathless quality of her voice, and lowered her eyes again quickly.
Shifting her eyes to Justin, her breath caught in her throat. His irises were a deep, stormy gray, and he was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her whole. His hair was dark enough to be almost black, but she could see traces of brown throughout. His shoulders were very wide, his biceps looked to be larger than she would be able to encompass with two hands, and he was packed full of rippling muscles. She didn’t think he was as tall as Chet or shorter than Roan in height, but until she saw him standing she wouldn’t be sure.
Quickly diverting her eyes to her lap again, she tried to get her wayward mind and body to return from what she considered freakish reactions to three strangers.
The three Domain brothers seemed to be a fair bit older than her twenty-three years, and she felt as if she was out of her element considering they appeared to be in their early to mid thirties.
“What do you want to eat, sweetness?” Roan whispered in her ear, and she sucked in a gasp when his hot, moist breath caressed her flesh.
“Uh…pardon?” she asked. Even though she had heard and understood the question, she wanted a little more time to get her body back under control, and she hadn’t even looked at the menu, which sat in the middle of the table. And what’s with all the endearments? I don’t even know these men.
“Food, Sam. What do you want?”
“A burger,” she blurted and felt heat rise in her cheeks. God, Sam, could you be any gawkier?
“A girl after my own heart,” Justin stated from her other side. He must have shifted closer to her, because she could feel the heat emanating from his body, and his masculine scent assailed her nostrils. The smell of his sweat was so nice mixed in with spicy soap and clean male. It was so entic
ing she couldn’t help taking a deep breath for another whiff.
“How do you want your burger, sweetness?”
“Pardon?” Sam asked, looking up at Roan.
“Do you want a cheeseburger or one with the works, Sam?”
“With the works, please,” she replied just as Chet returned to their table.
Gratefully reaching for the glass of water, she downed half the contents in one go and only looked up when she realized silence reigned around her immediate vicinity.
“Do you want another of those, darlin’?” Chet asked.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Roan touched her arm to draw her attention but held a finger up when the waitress came to take their order. Once the waitress was gone again, he turned back to her.
“We could use another waitress here, sweetness. Do you think you’d be interested?”
“Yes. I’ve worked as a check-out chick, bartender, and waitress.”
“Well, you sound like you’re exactly what we need,” Justin said. “You realize that room and meals are included in the package.”
“That seems to be very generous,” Sam said hesitantly.
“We like to take care of our employees, honey. Our cousins own this establishment and like to know that the people they employ are going to hang around for a while,” Justin stated firmly.
Sam could tell he wanted an affirmation that she would hang around, too, but she couldn’t make a promise she might break. So she lowered her eyes and didn’t confirm or deny his unspoken question.
“Where are you from, Sam?” Chet asked, breaking into the uncomfortable silence.
“Florida.”
“What brings you to this neck of the woods?” Justin asked.
“Um, I−I just felt like a change,” she answered, shifting uncomfortably.
“Are you married, sweetness?” Roan asked, and when she looked up she saw he was looking at her bare left ring finger.
“Divorced,” she replied abruptly, not wanting to get into the particulars of her farcical marriage. If she opened her mouth to explain, she was scared the whole sordid story would come spilling out, and the last thing she needed was to see their pity at her predicament.
“So, when can you start, honey?” Justin asked.
“What?”
“When can you start working at the club?” he asked again.
“Oh, tomorrow, if that’s what you want. Are you sure you don’t have to check with the owners before you hire me?”
“No, darlin’, we are running the club right now. Our cousins have more important things to oversee at the moment. If they didn’t trust us, we wouldn’t have complete control,” Chet explained. “And yes, you can start tomorrow. Does three o’clock suit you?”
“Yes, that’s fine. What do you all want me to do?”
“You can help out wherever you’re needed,” Roan answered. “Do you have any experience cooking, sweetheart?”
“Um, yes, I often helped cook in the last hotel I worked for. I love to cook. I had planned on being a chef, but things didn’t work out,” Sam explained and then cursed at her runaway mouth. She hadn’t meant to reveal anything about herself, but there was nothing she could do since the horse had already bolted.
“Why didn’t you, honey?” asked Justin.
“Um.” Sam began scrabbling in her mind for something to say without going into too much detail, and then she sighed with relief when the waitress brought their order.
“Shelley, this here is Samantha Winters.” Chet introduced her to the waitress. “She’ll be starting work here tomorrow.”
“Hi, Samantha, welcome aboard,” Shelley said and gave her a wink.
“Nice to meet you.” She then looked at the massive burger on the plate in front of her. Her stomach was all tied up in knots she was so nervous, and she didn’t know if she could stomach any food right now, but she didn’t want to appear rude after the trouble the three Domain brothers had gone to by hiring her and ordering her dinner.
She cut the hamburger in four and picked up a quarter. Taking a bite, she looked up as she chewed. They were all staring at her again. Chet caught her eye, and the corner of his mouth tilted up in a sexy half grin, but she hastily looked away again.
By the time the three men had finished eating Sam had only done justice to quarter of the burger but couldn’t have taken another bite.
“Are you all right, Sam?” Roan asked.
“Yes,” she answered and looked up at him. He had a frown on his face, and he was looking at her as if he were worried about her. Don’t be stupid, Samantha. The man doesn’t even know you, so why would he worry for you? He’s just being polite because you didn’t eat much.
“If you’re finished, why don’t we help you pack up your stuff and move you in upstairs?” Chet inquired.
“Oh, I had thought I could move in tomorrow morning sometime. I’ve already paid for tonight’s accommodation at the motel.”
“Okay. What time do you want to move tomorrow, honey?” Justin queried. “We’ll be there to give you a hand.”
“You don’t need to do that. I only have a couple of bags.” She turned to look at him.
Staring into his eyes she thought she saw his irises flash from gray to gold and back again. The hair on her nape stood on end, but when she blinked, his eyes looked normal and all expression was wiped from his face. Turning back to Chet when he spoke, she caught him glaring at Justin just before he pinned her with his gaze.
“Would you like another drink, darlin’?”
“Yes, please. How long have you lived in Aztec?” she asked, directing her question to Roan.
“We were born here, sweetness. Our family has been in this town for generations.”
“Wow, it must be nice to have such sturdy roots.”
“What about you, honey? Where in Florida did you grow up?” Justin asked, taking the bottle of beer Chet handed him when he returned to the table.
“I spent my childhood in Sebring.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters, darlin’?” Chet inquired.
“No.”
“And your parents, do they still live in Sebring?” asked Justin.
“No, my parents are no longer living. They died six months before I finished high school,” she replied emotionlessly.
“Shit, that must have been hard on you, Sam,” Roan said gently.
“I survived. I finished school and was able to continue paying the mortgage with the small life insurance policy my dad had. Then I sold up, intending to use the remaining proceeds from the sale to go to culinary school.”
“But you didn’t go, did you, honey.” Justin took hold of her hand. “What happened?”
Sam opened her mouth to answer automatically and then quickly closed it again. She didn’t want them to know how gullible she had been, but the urge to blurt out what a mess her life was in was nearly tangible. How long had it been since she had someone to lean on?
Chapter Three
Justin knew she was leaving out a huge amount of information. He wanted to ask her so many questions, to find out why she looked so sad, lonely, and scared, but he didn’t want to frighten her off. She hadn’t stopped fidgeting and squirming since she sat down, and she’d hardly touched her food. In his opinion she could definitely do with another few pounds on her slim frame, but he didn’t have the right to make sure she was eating properly, at least not yet.
Roan had been right. Samantha Winters was their mate, and he intended to do anything he could to keep her in Aztec and woo her into their beds. She was such a timid little thing, but man was she a looker. He had already figured out she had a submissive nature and couldn’t wait to test her mettle. Everyone had a limit, and he wondered how far he could push before she reached hers. Nearly every time she met his gaze, her eyes skittered away and looked down. She had avoided looking at his brothers too much, too. But underlying all that nervous energy he could smell her arousal. He’d caught her giving them all the once
-over and hoped she liked what she saw, because he definitely did. If the scent emanating from her pussy was any indication, she was definitely attracted to them.
“Could you let me out, please?” she asked Roan.
“You haven’t finished your drink yet, sweetness.” He indicated her untouched soda.
“I need the ladies’ room,” she replied haughtily.
And just like that, some of her true nature shone through. Justin smiled over her head at Roan and then Chet. He could see their eyes twinkling with amusement, too, and knew that they liked that she had some backbone at least. When she was on her way to the bathroom, Roan slid back into the booth.
“Well, what did I tell you? She’s our mate, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she’s ours,” Justin growled possessively.
“Fuck, Justin. You’re going to have to watch it. Your eyes began to change, and Sam noticed,” Chet said.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry, but fuck, she’s such a submissive little thing, she brings the beast out in me.”
“I don’t think she’s as passive as she makes out. She told you just a minute ago,” Chet said, pointing at Roan.
“Yeah.” He sighed wistfully. “Who would have thought such a husky voice could sound so cool?”
“So what do you think her story is?”
“I don’t know, but she’s scared of something.”
“Do you think she’s running from her ex?” Chet queried.
“Could be, but we won’t know for sure until she opens up with us.”
“She’s not going to do that yet. She’s so fucking skittish she can’t sit still,” Chet explained.
