She knew it should creep her out or something, that was how 'good girls' were supposed to act. But damned if she didn't want them. Both nights she'd spent having to get up every few hours to take a cold shower, trying to shock the sexy dreams from her system.
"What's wrong with sex?" Grace asked her, arching a brow.
"Well… you know. I can't go around sleeping with two guys, that's wrong."
The young woman shrugged a shoulder. "If you're going to last a lifetime, then you have to be physically compatible. Sex is just one of those things, like having the same taste in books. Nathan has had a lot of lovers, but he's never found that one to make him forsake all others. He hopes that it will be you. If he doesn't feel that way about you, I don't think he'd accept you even if you chose him."
Tanya's nostrils flared. She'd had enough rejection in her life, she didn't need another asshole to decide she wasn't good enough for him, anyway. She walked faster, feet stomping the ground. "Well, I'm not choosing him. I'm not choosing either of them, so there will be no sex. I don’t want to end up with a man-whore anyway."
Both Olivia and Grace giggled. "A man what?"
"Man-whore." Blood rushed to Tanya's face. "You know. A guy who sleeps around with a lot of women."
The other women's laughter increased. Tanya didn't see what was so funny about it and walked faster, trying to leave them behind. Was she supposed to just accept the fact that she was going to be stuck with someone who couldn't keep it in his pants? No. She wanted someone who would love and cherish her, and in her opinion, that meant not having sex with other people while they were together. Call her old-fashioned but she wasn't going to share. Or rather, call her a hypocrite because she loved imagining two men sharing her. But only in fantasy. When she committed to a man, he was the only one for her.
"If Nathan is a man-whore, I guess that makes me a woman-whore," Grace chuckled. "Among wolves, it's common to have multiple sexual partners before you settle down with your mate. Haven't you had the same?"
"I've dated," Tanya muttered, not about to admit that she hadn't had any sexual partners.
Olivia made a noise in her throat. "If you're worried, I can assure you that Nathan knows exactly how to please a woman."
Tanya's eyes bugged out of her head. "And how do you know that?"
"Personal experience." The wolf gave her a saucy smile and wink.
Tanya could feel her eyes turning green. She stomped her feet harder, breathing hard through her nose. Grace started giggling again, as though it was hilarious. Tanya shot her a dirty look, but it didn't stop her. The small wolf's eyes sparkled and she walked with a spring in her step. What was she so excited about? Did she not want her brother to be alpha?
"To be fair, Gabriel has a lot of experience as well," Olivia continued. "Of course, I don't talk about my brother's sex life with him, but there have been plenty of women who—"
"Will you stop that?" Tanya turned on her, eyes narrowed. "If you don't want me to be your sister-in-law, mission accomplished! You can stop telling me about his sexual prowess now."
Both women stared at her with slack jaws, as though what she had said was completely nonsensical. It only served to infuriate her more, and she turned on her heel and headed toward the house. It didn't matter that the packs would fall apart without an alpha female. It was none of her never mind, she wasn't going to end up stuck with someone who ran after every pretty skirt that he saw. So what if some of her favorite fantasies involved two men? Fantasy and reality were two very different things.
"I'm sorry," Grace said, running to catch up. "I didn't mean—"
"You thought it was hilarious that I was getting mad."
"I thought it meant you were jealous, and if you were jealous that meant maybe you were falling in love with Nathan."
Was she serious? Tanya shook her head in disbelief. She'd known him for all of two days, how could she even be thinking of love? Especially since, technically, she was a prisoner here. She let out a huffy breath and shook her head again. Maybe her editor had people searching for her by now. She should at least call him and tell him that she was among the wolves, safe and sound. A frown crossed her face. None of the wolves had told her she couldn't have contact with the outside world, but until now she hadn't even thought of anybody who might miss her.
After a moment, Olivia spoke. "Jealousy isn't part of love, Grace. Being jealous means you don't trust that person, and there is no room for a lack of trust in real love."
"I can't trust people I don't even know," Tanya muttered. She scratched her chin and let her hand drop. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. This whole situation is just messed up. Seriously messed up. It's like some dark ages crap, forcing people to get married or fight to the death or whatever it's about."
"Oh, they're not supposed to fight to the death. It's why they decided to let you choose, so it wouldn’t end up with one of them dead," Olivia replied. "It's just they both have such strong personalities. Gabriel doesn't like how things happened between Nathan and me. He won't accept that I'm as much at fault for it as Nathan. If they'd only get over themselves, I'm sure they'd be great friends."
"I think so, too," Grace volunteered. "It's a shame they're not gay, or one of them isn't a woman. Then they could be alphas together and you wouldn't be stuck in the middle of it."
"They wouldn't have to be gay. Bi or pan would work just as well." Olivia poked Grace in the ribs. "Speaking of which, I meant to ask you. You're into guys, right Tanya? The whole thing will be a waste of time if you're only into girls."
Why was it that now, of all times, she started to blush again? Tanya ducked her head, the question feeling a little too personal for her tastes. There was nothing really that embarrassing about the answer, but she'd never really had girlfriends before, certainly not ones this open about sexuality. She had longed for people that she could talk about this sort of thing with as she grew up. Her parents had been old-school and in their eyes, she was a pure innocent angel that had no sexual desires.
"Yes," she said eventually, so that the other women wouldn't get the wrong idea. "I like men. It's just that I don't have a lot of experience… as in no experience at all. Guys that I'm interested in just never found me attractive. And now to have two guys looking at me like that… I mean, I've always fantasized about having sex with two men at once, and both of them are so hot I'm sure I'd love it, but—"
"Stop!" Grace held up a hand. Her face was green, and she clutched her stomach as though she was about to vomit. A glance at Olivia showed much the same expression. "Please, don't talk like that around me."
"Me, either," Olivia groaned. She shuddered. "That is just… too gross."
Great. Here she was with the only people she'd met that thought it was okay for people to have casual sex, and her kinks were still taboo. Tanya's shoulders slumped. Just perfect. Now they were going to think that she was a sex pervert. And maybe she was. After all, who demanded complete faithfulness from her partner only to turn around and say she wanted a threesome?
"I'm sorry. I just thought that… never mind."
Olivia gave her a sympathetic look. "Just so you know… that sort of thing isn't uncommon among wolves, but it would never work with the alphas. They're both too dominant, they'd never be able to share a female or the leadership of the pack. But please, don't talk that way about my brother again. I've had to listen to it before and I just can't handle it anymore."
"Of course." Tanya ducked her head. "Sorry."
They continued on, the discussion turning to something less inflammatory. Tanya's mind drifted to the two alphas again, and she had to repress yet another sigh. Grace thought she was falling in love, but it was too soon for that. Lust, however… she was firmly in lust. And she had to get out of here before she acted on it, otherwise all bets were off.
Chapter Five
Gabriel
Nerves fluttered in his stomach as he finished rearranging the roses. The smell of the dinner he had cooked himself was tantal
izing, and he couldn't wait to share it with Tanya. She would appreciate the personal touches, like how he noticed that she liked chili peppers on everything–even ice-cream. It was the best chance he had, to show that he had more than sex to offer her.
He could see the way she looked at Nathan. She wanted him. That was clear. But when it came to life decisions, there was far more than pure lust that needed to be weighed. Besides, when she looked at him, her pupils dilated and a blush rose in her cheeks. She might lust after Nathan, but that didn't mean she wasn't attracted to him as well. So, he had to prove he could give her something more.
There was a hesitant knock on the door and Gabriel glanced at his watch as he answered. Tanya stood on the other side. Disappointment hit him in the stomach when he saw she wore jeans and a baggy shirt, her hair wound in a lazy bun at the back of her head. He had told her to dress up and was wearing a three-piece suit himself.
Tanya's eyes widened. "Oh! You actually did mean dinner."
"You were expecting something else?"
A flush rose in her cheeks. "Uh… well, I thought you were just making excuses for sex. But I…" She glanced down at herself. "I was going to cancel. I didn't think…"
Gabriel smiled at her. He could give her time to go get changed, but in the end, did it really matter that she wasn't dressed up? He'd lose the jacket, vest and tie and it would be fine. "You look beautiful. And yes, only dinner. No sex. I, for one, would like to get to know you better, and that's hard when you're all sweaty and out of breath."
The pink increased in her cheeks. She nodded silently and came in.
Gabriel poured them both sparkling grape juice before sitting himself. With the first bite, Tanya made a groaning noise that nearly had him choking.
No sex, he reminded himself.
Her plump lips pursed and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He rose his brows at her with a grin.
"There's never enough spice to anything, but this is perfect," she said, eyes bright. "It's delicious!"
"Good."
Tanya made to put a huge forkful of noodles in her mouth, then stopped and used her knife to make it smaller. "So how did you become alpha anyway?"
Gabriel thought for a moment. It was surprising that someone as young as he managed to become an alpha. "Being an alpha is most times an inherited position. The eldest child, usually a son, is trained by his father from a young age. Then, when his father is older, he steps down and the new one takes the role. It moves smoothly, with the old alpha still there to help the younger one. In my case, though, my parents were already quite old by the time Olivia and I were born. We're twins, and I'm older by only a few minutes."
He smiled at Tanya, and she smiled back. "So, your father retired when you were still young?"
"No." His smile slipped away. "My mother passed unexpectedly, and after that, my father lost the will to live. He was distracted and distant. It was like he had died as well, and it just took his body a while to catch up. I took on the role of alpha, but it wasn't official and he wasn't really there to help. After he passed, I was challenged many times. I won every time, though, and here I am."
"Here you are." Tanya pushed her food around on her plate. "My parents got me when they were elderly, too. Well. They're actually my grandparents. My mom had me and didn't want me, so she left me with them. I haven't heard from her since Momma and Poppa passed away. My dad was around for a while… until he jumped out of his office building window."
Her neck bent and she sucked her lips between her teeth. Gabriel reached across the table and squeezed her hand. He knew how hard it was to lose one's parents, but at least he still had Olivia. He couldn’t imagine anybody not wanting their child. "How long ago did you lose them?"
"Two years. But it was just so stupid, you know? The furnace malfunctioned. It leaked carbon monoxide while they were sleeping. I was supposed to have visited them, but I got wrapped up in a story and I didn't go home. I know that, really, there wasn't anything I could have done, but—" Her voice broke and she wiped her eyes. "I just miss them. So much. Sometimes I feel like I'm so alone."
Gabriel shifted his chair so he was sitting beside her instead of across from her. Tanya let out a shuddering sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. The warmth of her body felt so right in his arms he never wanted to let her go. A tight ache in his chest eased a little. It was so familiar he never even thought about it anymore, but he missed his parents, too. Terribly.
After a moment, Tanya pulled away. "Look at me. Ruining this beautiful dinner."
"You're not ruining anything."
"So, tell me about Olivia," she said, forcing a bright smile on her face. "She never told me you two were twins. Why's that?"
"You'd have to ask her that." Gabriel laughed. "Olivia… well, I rely on her more than anybody else. Honestly, I wouldn't be able to be an alpha without her help. But she gets things in her head, and I just don't understand why she does certain things. Do you have any siblings?"
Tanya shook her head.
"They're the best and the worst. I'm lucky in that my sister and I actually get along."
"And you're very protective of her."
Gabriel's expression darkened. "She told you about…"
"Her ill-fated affair with Nathan?" Tanya nodded, but she didn't look angry or judgmental. "She told me that you're still angrier with him than she is. I don't know, I think that maybe…" She laughed softly and shook her head. "I don't want to ruin this. It's a beautiful meal, so let's not talk about him, okay? Not right now, anyway."
Gabriel sucked in a deep breath and nodded reluctantly. As much as he'd like to tell her all about Nathan's bad qualities, he knew from experience that wasn't the sort of thing women liked. He needed to show himself as the good choice, not treat Nathan like the bad choice–even though he was a bad choice.
"What do you do for work?" he asked. "You said something about a story earlier?"
"I forgot I didn't tell you. I'm a reporter."
"A what?"
Her expression darkened and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't have to say it as though I drown kittens for a living."
Gabriel fought to keep the scowl off his face. "So that's what you were doing out in the woods that day? Trying to get pictures of our rituals?"
"Nope." Tanya shook her head, eyes still narrowed. "I was trying to find my way back to the city. My car broke down on the way out here. My editor—" here she made a face, "—he wants me to bring back the story of a lifetime to him or he'll fire me. I'm probably fired now anyway… I wanted to get more information about your rituals and stuff, yeah, but I wasn't going to take pictures without permission. I take the right to privacy very seriously. But wolves are a huge mystery to the outside world. A lot of bias and rumors floating around."
Gabriel repressed a growl as he shifted away from her. "We like our privacy."
Tanya hesitated a moment then moved forward. "I understand that. But you have to be aware of what is being said out there about you guys. If you could tell your own story, it might help with the whole public relations thing… We could do an exclusive interview." Her eyes brightened as her gaze shifted past him. "Get your voice into the world."
"And it wouldn't hurt your career any, either."
Her gaze snapped back to him. "We don't have to."
He couldn’t stay mad at her. With a deep, throaty chuckle, Gabriel pulled her into his lap. Her eyes widened, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders.
"Oh!" she squeaked.
"Surprised?"
"That the chair can hold both of us, yeah." She ducked her head. "Aren't you afraid it will break?"
"We won't get that wild. No sex, remember?"
Gabriel adjusted her so that she was straddling him. It was tempting to throw the no-sex rule out the window, along with both their clothes. He forced himself to keep his hands on her hips as he brushed his mouth over hers. Tanya groaned and wrapped her arms around his head. To his surprise, she began grinding on him thr
ough their clothes. The action had him groaning. He teased her mouth open and thrust his tongue into her mouth. His fingers tightened on her hips, digging into her jeans.
The door was suddenly thrown open. Gabriel only just caught scent of Nathan's smell before Tanya was ripped from his grasp. He let out a strangled sound of protest. Nathan pulled Tanya's legs around his hips and turned to press her into the wall. He kissed her hard, eliciting first a squeal then a moan. Tanya's fingers dug into his hair and he rolled his hips, mimicking the action of making love.
Except Nathan wasn't capable of that. To him it would be pure animal sex, nothing loving about it.
Gabriel jumped to his feet. He grabbed the other alpha by the collar and dragged him back. Tanya slid down the wall, yelping. Nathan shook Gabriel off and turned back to her. With a yank, he ripped open her sweater. Her breasts seemed to pop out of the fabric and a burst of apple scent poured over Gabriel, but he was too incensed to recognize the scent of arousal.
"Don't you dare!" he shouted, slamming a fist into Nathan's kidneys. "How dare you disrespect my future mate in my home–in my room!"
Nathan shoved him off, making him trip and land on the table. It collapsed, their meal scattering every way. As Gabriel jumped back to his feet, Nathan stood in front of Tanya, almost as though he was protecting her.
"You should leave," he said over his shoulder. "Gabriel and I have something to settle."
"No, you don't!" Tanya pushed past him and stood between the two alphas. Her eyes lit with fury as she glared at first Nathan and then Gabriel. "That is enough of that. I don't know what is going on in your head, Nathan, but coming in here while I'm having a talk with Gabriel and ripping off my clothes is not welcome. And you, Gabriel, I don't want you to start attacking Nathan every time he kisses me. Seriously!"
The Billionaire Wolves' Virgin Page 3
