"He was disrespecting—"
Tanya shoved a finger in his face. "Don't think that I didn't notice what you said. My future mate. My home. My room. You, you, you. You didn't attack him for my sake, you did it for your own."
Had he? Gabriel couldn't reply, too shocked at the accusation.
"And I am not going to be a pawn in your pissing match, understood? There will be no fighting while I'm here, otherwise I'm on the next plane to England and both of your packs can just wither away to nothing, understood?"
Chapter Six
Nathan
No fighting? Nathan shrugged. "Fine."
He wrapped his arms around Tanya's waist. He tugged her ruined sweater off her shoulders so he could have an unobstructed view of her round breasts. His heart pounded, stomach coiling. Energy burned throughout his body, a deep horror knotting in his chest. He had to get his mind onto something else.
"Let's get rid of the prude over there and we can scream down the walls. I wanna see if you taste like apples."
Tanya shoved at him. "Stop it. You can't just go around ripping off my clothes without my consent. That sort of stuff has to be decided ahead of time."
There was a red flush in her face. Despite smelling heavily of arousal, her eyes were wide and she looked almost frightened. Nathan released her at once. The horror knotted tighter. He could just imagine how he looked to her right now. Wild-eyed, like an animal. He felt like one. Trapped, cornered, caged. Prowling around in circles while knives cut into him. He had to get out before he lashed out at her or Gabriel again.
"What is going on?" Tanya's expression softened. "Nathan? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Gabriel snorted. "He's just being himself. An immature, self-centered—"
Nathan growled. "You know nothing about me."
"I know enough–maybe you should ask him how he became alpha," Gabriel said, then smiled.
"You son of a—"
Nathan made to leap forward. Fighting would drain this energy just the same as sex. Maybe it would even be a better outlet. Tanya shoved him back surprisingly strong. She stood between them, hands outstretched as though she could actually stop them if it came to blows.
"What the hell is going on here? Nathan?"
There was no way he was saying anything when Mr. Holier Than Thou was in the room.
"Fine." Tanya snapped. She grabbed his hand. "We are going to go talk."
Gabriel made a strangled noise of protest.
"Don't start. England is still on the table."
He couldn't ever remember a woman being so firm with him. In the past when he had similar episodes, his girlfriend–or girlfriends, depending on the time–would sweet talk and cajole him. They'd comfort, mother, treat him like he was spun glass. Now, Tanya led him down the hallway to his room with her hand firmly gripping his. He wouldn't be surprised if smoke rolled out of her nose. She was a spitfire.
Tanya took off her belt when they were in his room, and for a moment Nathan hoped that meant sex was still on the table, but she only refastened it around her waist, keeping the two halves of her sweater shut. She faced him and put her hands on her hips.
"Now. Are you going to tell me what all that was about, or are you going to get your hairy ass out of here and let me get to know Gabriel without your interference?"
"I decided I didn't want to let him have you all on his own," Nathan said, attempting a smile. He could hear his own panic on the edge of his voice and cleared his throat, trying to calm his racing heart. "I want you in my bed and—"
She held out a hand, stopping him. "That's not it at all. If you expect me to even consider choosing you as my mate, you have to be honest with me. And that means you tell me why you look like you're about to have a breakdown. What happened?"
Nathan was tempted to tell her nothing and just walk away. What were the chances she would choose him, anyway? But as he stared down at her, he found he couldn't look or move away. "You… you know that Olivia and I used to sleep together?"
"She told me."
His shoulders hunched. "Did she also tell you how badly I treated her?"
"Badly…" Her brows knit. "How?"
"Like a sex toy." He slumped suddenly, the anger and horror fleeing, leaving him without the energy to stand. "When I was with Olivia… I didn't care about her at all. I only ever paid her attention when I wanted sex. She saw a broken boy and thought she could save me. I made her pay for that. I was horrible… I still might be." He laughed a bitter sound. "I hear something that pains me and what is the first thing I do? Run to rip off your clothes and treat you like my drug."
Tanya swallowed. She knelt down, out of arm's reach. "You would have stopped if I said no."
"Yes, I would have. But I shouldn't have started."
"What happened?" her voice so soft, yet her expression showed he had no room to argue with her.
Nathan swallowed hard. "I overheard Grace and Olivia talking. Grace asked her why she never told me about… about the baby."
Tanya's eyes widened as understanding dawned on her face. A hand pressed to her mouth, and Nathan found himself laughing more. The bitterness was gone, leaving him feeling hollow and empty. He just wanted to cry, a feeling he hadn't known in a long, long time.
"She was pregnant with my child, and knew that I…" How would he have reacted to it then? He was in such a dark place, a place where there was no room for anybody but his own tortured mind. "She didn't want me knowing about it."
"What happened to the baby? Did she… get rid of it?"
He had demanded that as soon as he overheard Grace's words. "I wouldn't have blamed her if she had… But it was a miscarriage. She miscarried and I broke up with her because she was too emotional. Can you blame her for not telling me?"
Tanya shivered, but shook her head. There was horror in her expression, but more than that, too. She wasn't seeing him for the monster he was. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with all of them? Why couldn't they just turn him out, like he deserved?
He was laughing suddenly, so full of self-hate he couldn’t hold it in. He had changed since that horrible time with Olivia. He had improved himself, he had stopped being so angry and hateful. He'd apologized to her, and she had frankly forgiven him. That didn't mean he was going to forgive himself.
"And it turns out, I'm just like my father," he whispered, eyes wide and wild, that burning energy coming back. "I swore I wouldn't be him, and yet I am him. You should choose Gabriel. He's a good man, a good alpha. He'll treat you right."
"Nathan—" She moved forward, holding out her arms to embrace him. He leaped to his feet and shook his head. She remained on her knees, looking up at him. Tears glimmered in her eyes. "Nathan, you have to—"
"I don’t have to do anything. Choose Gabriel. Just… just choose him."
He ran from the room before she could say another word. Energy ran through his veins, thoughts pulsing in his blood. He couldn’t stop it, like poison flooding him. The walls closed in on him and he rushed out of the mansion. He was in the trees quickly, and shifted, ignoring his clothes tearing off of him.
His father treated his mother like this. Whenever he felt something, he'd take her into their room. The shouting and screaming let Nathan know exactly what was going on, but his mother always swore he never hurt her. And maybe it was true physically. But the times he saw her crying. And the shouting. Always shouting and screaming and insulting… it had left scars as bad as if he had broken bones.
He ran for hours, his thoughts a jumbled-up mess. Eventually, he turned back with one thought in his mind. Despite how he felt, he hadn't yelled at Tanya. He hadn't insulted her. Whatever else he had done, he hadn't done that and he could apologize to her for his actions. A ball of dread sunk in his stomach as he got closer to the mansion. What if she didn't want to see him?
Oliva waited for him on the front porch. Nathan tensed, but she patted the space beside her and he sat.
"Tanya told me what happened," she said ca
lmly. "You shouldn’t freak out like that, it's not healthy. I don't know what is going through your head, but it's not your fault I lost the baby."
Nathan picked at his thumb. "You didn't tell me about it."
"I only knew for a week, Nathan, and by then we had already broken up."
"You thought I'd laugh in your face if you told me."
Olivia shook her head. "I thought that you'd want to mate me. I thought that it would completely change you. That knowing you were going to be a father would turn your life around. That you would work hard to shed the anger and fear and pain, trying to be a good man for your child. I thought it would be a good thing."
"But you didn't think—"
"Stop telling me what I thought." Olivia put a hand on his arm. "I didn't want to be your mate just because I was pregnant. And after I had the miscarriage, I knew you'd blame yourself. We were a couple of crazy, messed-up kids. I was under too much pressure with my parents dying and Gabriel becoming alpha. I wanted to hurt him, like it was his fault that it happened."
"And we all know what I was like," Nathan said softly. "Olivia… I really am sorry."
"I know. But that's a rabbit I'm not chasing again. We had our time, it was horrible, now it's time to move on. And I think you have a shot with Tanya… maybe not how you think, though." She grinned as though she had a secret, eyes twinkling. "Speaking of which, she wants to speak with you. You should go, although… maybe bathe first."
Nathan smiled at her. Between his run and now his talk with Olivia, he felt fortified enough to talk with Tanya. Explain how he had been feeling and apologize for acting like he had. After all, he had gone running to her as though it was her job to fix him. That was too much pressure to put on her.
He showered and dressed before heading to her suite. Gabriel was already there, and Nathan nodded at him. He got a nod in return. Somebody must have explained to him what had happened. Nathan was uncertain what to do now, so he just sat down on the sofa.
"Where is Tanya?"
"The bathroom."
Just as Gabriel finished speaking, the door to the bathroom opened. Tanya stepped out, wearing a pair of strappy red heels–and nothing else. Nathan jumped to his feet, his jaw dropping. He glanced at Gabriel to find the same bug-eyed look on his face. Tanya cocked a hip and put her hands on her waist.
"Now," she said, "we are going to get this all sorted out."
Chapter Seven
Tanya
She had never done anything this brazen before. Excitement and fear thumped against her chest. It was crazy to go from saying no to sex at all to come out here stark-naked hoping to have a three-way. Her mouth was dry but other parts of her were already throbbing in anticipation.
Since Nathan left she had been waffling about what to do. Part of her thought she needed to proceed in a soft, gentle fashion, but she had dismissed that as too motherly. She wasn't sure when it had changed from 'I'm getting out of here' to 'Maybe I can give it a shot' but she had made up her mind at long last.
There was no way that she could help either of them in what they needed to do. She had no experience with senior management, let alone running a pack. What they needed was more than just one person to support them. They needed an equal, a partner. Olivia and Grace had said that they'd work together if they would give it a chance. Well, that was what they needed. To be alphas together.
Hopefully, she could help Gabriel stop hating on Nathan and Nathan forgive himself. But it was clear to her now. This was going to work with all three of them, or it wasn't going to work at all.
"I can see that you're both surprised," she said breathlessly. Her lungs moved more rapidly than normal, and judging from where Nathan's eyes were glued, he appreciated it. Gabriel's gaze was a bit lower, focusing in on the juncture at her thighs. At the sound of her voice, both of their heads snapped up. "I've been thinking it over. This is going to happen, I'm not going to fight it anymore. So, I want to make sure that we're sexually compatible."
Nathan glanced askance at Gabriel. Tanya hoped that meant he understood what she meant. On the other hand, Gabriel still struggled to look in her eyes, and she wasn't sure he had even heard her.
"Get out," he snarled at Nathan.
"Not a chance."
The raw lust between them did strange things to Tanya's insides. She had the sudden urge to cover up but dismissed the silly thought. She was trying to get sex, and hiding from the men she wanted it with wasn't going to help. Gabriel turned on Nathan with a snarl, and the other alpha stepped back. His brow furrowed as he looked between his rival and Tanya.
"I don't know this is a good idea," he said. "After what… just happened…"
"Yeah," Gabriel agreed. "So get out."
Tanya sighed. "I don't want you fighting over me. That's not why you're here."
Gabriel turned back to her. "You don't? I think you do… I think it turns you on when we fight over you. It makes you feel sexy and desirable."
"She is sexy and desirable," Nathan growled.
Maybe being naked to discuss this wasn't such a good idea. Gabriel nodded, clearly not realizing that there had been a threat layered into Nathan's statement.
"I am a little turned on," she admitted. "But not when it looks like you're going to really fight. I don't want this to come to blows. Ever. I mean it, I will jump on a plane to England and never come back. But I think I have a solution."
"It doesn't matter who has you first, whoever you don’t pick will fight to have you." Gabriel's voice sounded strained. His hands bunched at his sides.
Tanya nodded. She moved between them and grasped one hand from each of them and guided them to her breasts. Both men tweaked her nipples, making her groan. Her eyes slid shut. "You're right. So there will be no arguing over who has me first. You can have me together. I've watched porn, it's possible. One the regular way and the other can have me anally. I've got condoms and lube…"
She didn't mention how she got those particular things. Olivia had groaned and moaned about how disgusting it was when she first asked, and had sworn her not to tell Grace. For being from such a free-spirited culture, the two female wolves were certainly rather reserved. Although it was probably because Tanya's partners were their brothers… she shook her head, pushing her alphas' sisters from her mind.
"So how about it?" she breathed. "Are you willing to try it?"
Nathan and Gabriel both glared at each other for a moment. Their hands were still on her body, but Tanya held her breath. If either of them backed out now… she wasn't sure how she could get this moment back. It was clear to her that she couldn’t be with one without the other. She had tried to talk herself out of this. Fantasy was just fantasy, and should stay that way.
Except she had a gut feeling that she couldn’t work with only one of them. The balance of power would be far too tilted.
"I don't think Gabriel wants me in the room," Nathan said. "Besides, how would we decide who goes where?"
Gabriel spun Tanya around, pressing against her ass. "I know exactly where I'd go."
A thrill shot up Tanya's spine. She groaned with pleasure and excitement, moving back to grind against Gabriel. She closed her eyes as his big hands enveloped her breasts, but quickly opened them again to look at Nathan. He looked torn, and she was surprised. She had thought he'd be more eager than Gabriel to do this.
"It's okay if you don't want to," she whispered. "We can talk more. We don't have to do anything."
With a groan, Nathan dropped to his knees before her. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder, and Gabriel moved to hold her ass, keeping her in the air. Nathan's tongue darted out, sending a shockwave through her. Tanya gripped his hair, a strangled shout of surprise ripping from her. Gabriel kissed her neck, making her skin tingle. Between the two of them, shivers ran up and down her spine and it was all she could do to hold on. Not once did she think they'd drop her, though.
"You've done this before," she gasped out. Her hips rolled of their own accord, increasing
contact with Nathan's tongue.
Gabriel's chuckle rumbled through her chest, making everything tighten further. "Only once."
Tanya gasped. "You have done this before?"
It was Nathan's turn to chuckle. He stood, setting her back on her feet, and pressed in against her. Tanya almost forgot what they were talking about as his chest mashed her breasts. Gabriel moved away from her, and she made a noise of protest, but stopped when she glanced back to see him removing his clothing.
"There was one time," Nathan said causally. "During a rather hot summer night when a girl invited us both to go skinny dipping. Apparently, three-ways are like riding a bike. You only have to do it once to know what to do."
Gabriel ripped off his pants and took her from Nathan. He set her on the bed as Nathan began undressing. A deep kiss, and then he spun her around. Gabriel rubbed himself against her ass, growling, as the heat deepened in her core. He fumbled at the nightstand. Moments later, something cold dribbled on her ass. Tanya let out a sharp gasp as Gabriel spread it around, making sure she was well prepared. She found him with her hand, and when Nathan joined them, she grasped him as well. Both moaned as she worked them in the same rhythm.
"Don't kiss me this time, though," Nathan grunted as his hands explored Tanya's body. "I don't like men that way."
Tanya choked out a laugh.
"It was an accident. It was the next morning and I thought he was her." Gabriel sounded sheepish. There was the sound of foil ripping, and Tanya twisted to watch him put on the condom. Her heart rate skyrocketed. This was actually happening. Her dream, her favorite fantasy.
Gabriel pressed against her ass as Nathan's hand slipped between her legs, zoning in on her sweet spot. Tanya's eyes rolled to the back of her head. She clung to him.
"Anything we should know before we continue?" Nathan breathed in her ear.
Was there? "Uh… I'm a virgin?"
Gabriel made a strangled groan. "And you still know exactly what you want… that is so…" he pressed into her, entering inch by inch, "… so hot!"
The Billionaire Wolves' Virgin Page 4
