by Anya Nowlan
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, honestly worried that he had.
“No, absolutely not,” Madeline replied with a smile. “We had a similar talk with Thatch earlier today. About how you wanted to be involved in Raze’s and Rhone’s life. I guess it’s… surprising? I know it shouldn’t be surprising. I know family means so much to shifters. But I figured that after everything that happened, this would never take place. They’d never get to meet you, I’d never really get to tell them who their fathers are… it feels sort of amazing that something so happy is taking place while I should be scared to death.”
Madeline sighed and Tex squeezed her knee, chuckling.
“Fate works in weird ways,” he admitted. For once, he actually believed that fully.
He’d never been a big believer in fate, to put it bluntly. He’d never felt that call to find a mate or settle down. All his life, he’d been happy to stalk around, train, fight, improve. Screwing hot women came with that and it became a sport for him and Thatch at one point. But it took one night with Madeline to make a believer out of him.
And now, sitting with his son on his knee, playing with him and his brother—he couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. Deep down in his very core, Tex knew that this was what he’d been living for. These people, this connection. All he could ever want was for Madeline to really become his and Thatch’s and their family made secure and whole.
It was something to fight for that he would go to bat for every damn time.
“So, what’s going to happen now?” Madeline asked after a while, as if she’d finally gotten up the courage to spit it out.
“You mean with everything? I got some more gear for me and Thatch and our squad said they’d help out as much as they could. We have a few friends trying to figure out where those vans originated from, though I think we have a pretty good clue. Tracking them down to a single location though is tricky. It’s sort of a complicated mess. Think we’re going to have to call in some favors,” Tex mused, shrugging.
A slightly confused frown crossed over Madeline’s features, like that wasn’t what she’d been asking, but she didn’t elaborate further, just nodded.
“I’m sorry I got you two into all of this,” she said, exhaling heavily. “I don’t know what it is that everything ends up going slightly to hell around me.”
“Psh, I love a woman who makes my world explode, literally and figuratively,” Tex laughed, throwing her a wink.
Madeline licked across her lower lip, smiling, and it slayed Tex. She was so delectable that keeping his hands off of her was a chore unlike any other. He wanted to pick her up, carry her to bed right away, and have his way with her. But that would be rude, right?
Tex wasn’t sure if he cared.
“I think we’ll call up a guy in the company tomorrow, see if he knows anything. I think it’s odd that they hit you so fast after you showed up on that feed. If they are who we think they are, then they don’t usually have so many forces waiting around in random towns for no reason. I think there’s something bigger afoot here and you might have simply shown up at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Isn’t that the story of my life,” Madeline laughed.
“Yours and mine both, sugar,” Tex chuckled.
Rhone wiggled off his lap, attacking the wide swatch of carpet between him and his brother, and making it exactly halfway before he stopped and seemed to run completely out of steam. Raze was yawning as well, triggering a quick yawn in Tex too.
“Hmm, seems like I need to put all my boys to bed,” Madeline said with a wink.
“Yes, ma’am! Wouldn’t get any objections from me,” Tex said, jumping up as Madeline moved to pick up Rhone.
Mary had set her room up with a big crib that Barkley had dug out of their storage. It was big enough for both of the twins, and Tex helped Madeline put both of the boys down for the night. They stayed by the crib, watching the little ones nuzzle in under their blankies, looking perfectly blissful and happy.
That feeling that Tex had had all day—that anxiety about being so far from them—was now completely wiped away, replaced with utter bliss. This felt right. Everything about this. Madeline by his side, his pups getting a sound rest. It was only missing his brother, and otherwise this picture would have been perfect.
He looked up, grinning like a fool, and saw Madeline’s gray eyes shimmer softly in the low light.
“You’re beautiful,” he blurted out, not giving the thought a moment to ruminate before he said it out loud.
She looked stunned, but finally smiled, looking down and blushing. It made her even prettier, the way her red hair licked at her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up.
Tex couldn’t help it. He crossed the small distance between them and pulled her against him tightly, crushing his lips against hers with hunger he hadn’t known he was hiding since the last time he saw her. He kissed her like both their lives depended on it and as far as he was concerned, they might have. His chest filled with relief when he felt her kissing him back with matching eagerness, her hands on his chin while his traveled down to her hips and pulled her tighter to him.
He couldn’t help but growl under his breath, nipping at her lower lip, catching it between his teeth. She tasted fucking amazing and he couldn’t get enough of it. Her eyes were shining like beacons when he finally pulled away from her, heaving for breath, barely containing his desire for her. A thought shot through him and he grinned wickedly, grabbing her hand and tugging her out of the room after him.
“Where are we going?” she yelped, grabbing the baby monitor as Tex already rounded the corner to the hallway.
“We’re going to go find Thatch and see how much we’ve forgotten about each other,” he said, his voice dark and twisty, but the grin on his lips promising more fun than any of them were prepared to handle.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Madeline
“What if someone hears us?” Madeline protested weakly, though she wasn’t doing a single thing to slow Tex down as they practically ran toward his and Thatch’s room.
“Barkley’s downstairs, I bet Mary’s asleep already,” Tex said, slamming against the door leading to his room with his shoulder.
Thatch was sitting on the windowsill, glaring at his phone as he usually did, but he jumped up immediately and put the phone down as they entered.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” he asked, a worried frown crossing his features.
“No. Everything’s right,” Tex said, pushing the door shut and clicking the lock on it as soon as Madeline had entered.
He plucked the baby monitor out of her hand and set it up on a shelf, coming so close to Madeline again that she was practically swimming in his presence. Yes, her knees were getting a little weak. Yes, her pulse was picking up. And yes, she wanted to be nowhere but with them in that very moment.
“I’m sick and tired of playing this one-night game, Madeline, but we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or any day after that. And I’ve fucking missed the hell out of you. I can’t tell you how glad I am that we found you, or that you are the mother of my children, of our children. But tonight is not about any of that. Tonight is about the fact that we want you like oxygen and if I have to sleep another night away from you, knowing you’re right there in the next room, I’m going to lose my mind. Comments?” Tex asked, giving a blazing look at Thatch.
Thatch just grinned, shaking his head as he crossed the room and came to stand next to his brother, the both of them towering over her. She felt like she was looking up at the sweetest daydream ever, one that she’d imagined in excruciating detail since the night they spent together. And now it was happening? Madeline swallowed dryly.
“I think you’re right, brother. Reading my mind as usual,” Thatch said, licking his lips. “What do you say, Madeline? Fun now, consequences later?” he asked, surprisingly cavalier considering his usual reserved nature.
She hesitated,
but a second later she reached out and pulled both of the twins to her by their belts, gasping at her own forwardness. Both of them grinned like the demons they were and next thing she knew, she was being picked up by Tex and pushed up against the wall, his mouth on hers again as Thatch kissed her neck.
“Oh my God, I missed you two,” she mewled softly, her nails raking down their necks as they kissed and lapped at her, tasting her.
Her fingers twisted around Thatch’s hair as he unbuttoned her shirt swiftly, his motions sure and controlled. Tex grinded against her and she could feel his massive and still-growing bulge straining to be released. Last time, it had been her calling all the shots, but this time that was the furthest thing from what she wanted. She’d given herself completely to the memory of the Crawley brothers, and what she wanted was for them to take her now and claim her like she’d dreamed of.
She clung desperately to Tex as he peeled away from the wall, walking over to one of the messy beds and throwing her down on her back on it. Somehow, Thatch had pulled her shirt off on the way and by the time she hit the sheets, her bra was undone. Madeline giggled, euphoric with expectation. Her pants were ripped off unceremoniously while Thatch got down on the bed on his hands and knees, kissing her and nibbling on her neck, making her whimper.
Tex removed her panties and parted her legs with rough hands, diving between them. She hissed in a breath as his hot tongue licked over her clit, making her shake and shudder from the very first touch.
“You’re as flawless as I remembered, Madeline,” Thatch muttered as he shucked off his shirt and his pants in quick succession, giving her a full view of his strong, carved body.
She could see a tattoo she hadn’t seen before on his ribs, but she couldn’t quite make it out in the dim light of the room. It scarcely mattered. Her hand was already scratching up the length of his inner thigh and she cupped his heavy and shaved balls in her palm.
“Did you miss this?” Thatch growled and Tex stopped for an excruciating second, removing his own shirt and making Madeline groan as she saw the perfect planes of his abs catching the light.
He looked ravenous, almost possessed with her, and she loved it. Thatch’s eyes were on fire and his cock was so hard, so rigid and ready for her. Any uncertainty about whether or not she’d done the right thing by going with them originally was wiped away. If she hadn’t spent that night with them, she wouldn’t have had her babies. And if she hadn’t shared her body with them, she would have never known how mind-blowing pleasure could really be.
“I missed all of this,” she admitted willingly, her hands reaching out for both of them, either of them, at least one of them.
Being without their hands on her was pure fucking torture! Madeline curled up, moaning happily as Tex’s tongue found her clit again and he shoved two fingers into her fast, making her spread around them as he started pumping them in and out of her. Thatch smoothed back her hair and kissed her again, this time taking his time to really let both of them enjoy it thoroughly.
Her fingers were coiling in Tex’s hair and she was bucking her hips against his face, though he kept her mostly in place with one hand on her stomach. Still, her core pulsed madly and she was twisting herself up in need, all the danger and worry forgotten for this one flawless moment with the twins. When Thatch pulled her chin up and let her lick at the head of his cock, she was already shuddering violently, mewling as Tex drove her on mercilessly.
The taste of pre-cum, the smoothness of the head, and then the way it filled her mouth just right as Thatch eased into her made her spasms even harder. She knew she had to be hurting Tex by now, tugging at his hair, violently shuddering every time he lapped at her, but he wouldn’t stop. Neither of them would. Sucking at Thatch hungrily, she moaned throatily as his hands pinched and kneaded her heavy breasts, worshiping them. She was pinned between the two strong, powerful werewolves and honestly, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
When Thatch bent down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, she couldn’t hold on any longer. Her moans turned into screams, muffled by Thatch’s thick cock in her mouth and throat, and she felt what could only be described as flashes of lightning coursing through her. Madeline could faintly feel how Tex pulled away from her, his fingers leaving her aching pussy, and she let out a wail of protest. It only lasted a second, though.
A moment later, he was filling her up with his thick, pulsing cock, sliding into her like her pussy was tailor made for him. Her back arched and she grabbed hold of Thatch, desperate for a moment of stability, some sense in the world because hers was completely spinning. At the height of her orgasm, Tex started pumping into her, his thrusts agonizingly full, powerful, and long.
She couldn’t imagine that she could feel so filled, but every stroke proved her wrong. Her vision blurred at the edges and Madeline clung to her consciousness, the orgasm wanting to take what little self-control she had left with it and leave her with nothing but pleasure. That seemed like a damn fine idea.
It was Thatch who gave her the first moment of relief, pulling back enough that she could breathe again normally, and take a moment of time to get her head screwed on straight again. Her chest was rising and falling heavily and his hands were still on her, always touching, always caressing, always teasing. She whimpered a cry of pleasure as Tex pressed his thumb on her sensitive clit, rutting into her with shorter, faster strokes now.
Still shaking like a leaf, her grip on Thatch eased a little as she suckled on him, eager to let him taste with as much enjoyment as she had. Her pussy clenched around Tex, demandingly milking him, wanting all he had to offer. A little part of her asked her whether she would mind having another one of their pups. A very loud part of her answered that as long as they were by her side, she would do that and a whole lot more for her wolves.
Pressing her lips together a bit more, she put pressure on Thatch, her tongue curling around the throbbing veins and coaxing his length. She loved the way he shuddered, and when Tex butterflied kisses on her chest, she tightened every muscle she could, drawing a quick gasp from Tex.
“Dammit, Madeline, you’re going to be the end of me,” he hissed, grinding into her with shorter strokes now.
She smiled privately when Tex’s hands grasped her hips and he came with a howl, spilling his load in her. Thatch wasn’t far after that and when the thick, hot cum spurted into her mouth and then down her throat, she eagerly swallowed it all down. Dammit, he tasted good, and Tex had blown her mind even harder than last time. Whatever those two wolves did to her, it was always akin to magic and she couldn’t get enough of it.
They both pulled out of her gently, making her body spasm regardless, and then fitted themselves on the bed with her, damp with sweat and tousled as it was. All three of them were left staring up at the ceiling for a few good minutes, the lazy flickers of light from outside breaking the shadows every now and then. It was a moment of utter bliss, and if Madeline could have, she would have distilled it in a bottle and kept it with her.
“We have to do this more often,” she said with a sigh, laughing.
“You mean the ideal setup isn’t to lose track of each other for more than a year at a time? I didn’t even realize that,” Thatch snorted with his trademark sarcasm.
“You won’t get any objections from me,” Tex said, twisting around and stealing another kiss from her lips.
She grinned happily, a hand on the hips of both of her wolves. If only a moment could be captured and kept… but someone’s always out there to ruin it…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thatch
It was hell rolling out of bed when Madeline was nestled between him and Tex. His arm was draped over her stomach and her steady breathing was music to his ears. He’d been up for at least half an hour by the time the next person stirred, it being Tex this time.
Thatch yawned, but pressed a finger to his lips when Tex scooted himself up on his elbows, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Thatch couldn’t help but smirk and sha
ke his head a little as his twin gave a beaming smile, looking at Madeline’s outstretched body on their narrow bed, all three of them pressed together like happy sardines in a can. Amazing they’d slept through the night like that.
The things the love of a beautiful woman can do, Thatch thought wryly, carefully getting out of the bed while Tex did the same.
They tucked Madeline in and both of them gave her a peck on the cheek. Thatch snatched his pants from the floor and pulled them on as Tex hunted down his. He was closing the zipper when his phone went off suddenly.
“Shit,” he hissed, fumbling with it.
There were about fifteen missed calls and texts from Blake, making Thatch snarl under his breath.
“You cool?” Tex asked as Thatch thumbed the call button and raised the smartphone to his ear, shushing Tex.
“Yeah?” he asked, the number being unrecognized.
The Firm always called from marked numbers or directly, so he figured it wasn’t his employers. When he heard Spade’s voice on the other end though, Thatch’s blood curled in his veins.
Shit. Exactly what we need. The fucking mind-ops getting involved.
“Who is it?” Tex asked quietly, padding over to Thatch while pulling his belt through the loops on his jeans.
“Spade,” Thatch mouthed wordlessly.
“Shit,” Tex commented, scruffing a hand through his hair.
“I think you two have something for me and I have something for you. Meet me at the Sixth Street bakery in twenty. Be there or Hemingway finds out where you are.”
The phone went dead after that. Tex had been standing close enough to hear the call and when their eyes met, his expression mirrored Thatch’s. Annoyance. Irritation. Complete and utter compliance. Spade was not to be fucked around with. He wasn’t a part of any specific unit, but ran intel for the whole Firm from what Thatch could figure. He stood outside the line of command, bypassing everyone and controlling everyone he pleased. He must have had a handler of his own, but Thatch had never caught wind of one. All he knew was when Spade made a threat, he didn’t fuck around.
