by Jane Jamison
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her. I’ll make sure she doesn’t hightail it out of here without you guys knowing. Do we have a deal? You stay away while I play guard?” She stuck out her hand.
Duncan stared at her outstretched hand. He hated giving his word when he wasn’t sure he could keep it. Instead, he ignored her hand and gave her an abrupt nod. “We’ll do our best.”
She dropped her hand and gave him a suspicious look. “That doesn’t make me feel any better, but I guess it’ll have to do.” She pivoted toward the door. “Now let me back inside so I can do my thing. Back to the ranch for you three.”
* * * *
Christy pressed her ear so hard against the front door that it started hurting. Still, it hadn’t done her much good. She could hear Milly’s voice and the men’s, too, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Their tones, however, were another thing. At first they sounded angry, even Milly. Then the sounds softened, and at the last, right before Milly pushed the door open, she could tell that they’d come to some kind of agreement.
She hurried to the couch. Before she could fling her body onto the cushion and pretend that she’d been sitting there the whole time, Milly came in. She paused, a knowing smile on her face, then walked toward her.
“Would you like a tour of the place? It’ll only take a minute.”
“Sure.” Christy hoped the heat rising up from her neck then into her cheeks wasn’t showing. She’d been caught eavesdropping, but having to admit it would be even worse.
She followed Milly around the small apartment, into the kitchen where she told her where to find everything and then into the tiny, but neat, bedroom. Although she nodded as Milly told her where to find towels and toiletries, she found it hard to concentrate on anything but all the questions racing through her mind.
Once they’d returned to the living room, she couldn’t hold back. “Milly, I really do appreciate you letting me stay in your place.”
Milly settled on the couch beside her. “You’re welcome, but I think I hear a big old but at the end of that sentence.”
“Not about the apartment or your generosity. But about this whole town celebration being dangerous. That I don’t get.”
Christy would never call her on it, but it was clear that Milly hedged for time by dragging in a long breath and brushing her hands through her long, golden mane. As anxious as she was, she wouldn’t push her new friend into talking.
“Is that what the guys called it? A celebration?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I guess you could call it that.”
“They said it was like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Only wilder.”
“That’s as good as any other way of describing it.”
“So it’s just a big party with lots of fun things going on, people getting drunk, partying in the street? That kind of thing?”
“Yeah. There’ll be that going on for sure.”
“Milly, will you please just get to the punch line?” Getting answers from anyone in Forever was like trying to put a bowtie on a catfish.
“Okay, I’m going to level with you.”
“Good.” Yet she wasn’t sure Milly really would.
“Don’t get me wrong. Forever’s a great place to live. But we do have a few oddities that outsiders might find hard to understand.”
Finally, she was getting somewhere. She leaned forward. “Yeah? Go on.”
“Well, there’s the whole celebration thing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s a big party, that’s true. And there will be a lot of people drinking and letting loose.”
“O-kay. But why is it dangerous?” She kept coming back to that word. Would Milly give her the whole truth?
“It’s this way. The celebration doesn’t happen very often. In fact, the last one we had was decades ago.”
“Really? But why? What kind of celebration comes along once in a blue moon?”
Milly gave her a strange look. “It’s not really a blue moon.” She waved her statement away. “It’s called the amber moon, and it’s when all the single residents of Forever, plus a few of the surrounding towns, go a little crazy. They drink, they fight, and have a rip-roaring good time.”
“Which I understand could get out of line, but I don’t see why you’d warn me that it’s dangerous.” She’d keep digging until she got an answer. Tenacity and curiosity were a powerful pair.
Milly dragged her hand through her hair again. “It can be dangerous, especially for nonresidents, outsiders, because during the amber moon, people do exactly what they want.”
“Like what? Break the law and get away with it?”
“You could say that, but we don’t have a lot of laws to break. Folks around here tend to follow their own code of ethics. We don’t have a police force, or even a sheriff, because we don’t need one. Jackson Carr’s the closest thing to a lawman and he tries to let people handle their own business as much as possible.”
Something wasn’t adding up. “So the town is used to policing itself. I get that. But whatever happens can’t be all that bad, right? I mean, what are we talking about? Jaywalking? Spitting on the sidewalks? Pissing in the open?”
“Uh, it’s a little more drastic than that.”
“Like how? Egging someone’s house? I mean, come on. This is a small town. I’d think the worst crime that could happen around here would be stealing someone’s bike. Or their car.” She let out a derisive snort. “We can’t be talking about robbing stores, or breaking and entering, right? Much less about horrible acts like murder or”—she laughed—“rape.”
She sucked in a breath at Milly’s cringe. Rape and murder? Once again, she wondered what she’d gotten involved in and had a sudden urge to get out of town. But how?
Chapter Four
Christy had to force the questions out of her suddenly clogged throat. “Are you kidding me? They murder or rape people? And no one does anything to stop them?”
Milly must’ve noticed her reaction and the sound of her strangled voice. “I don’t think anyone’s ever been murdered. Jackson does his best to keep a lid on things, but that’s the way the amber moon works. Or at least, that’s how it was handled the last time. I wasn’t around during then so I can’t say for sure. And I don’t think it’s really rape. At least not rape in the way you’re talking about.”
“What other way is there? When a woman says no, it means no. Or don’t people recognize that around here?” If they didn’t, it wasn’t the kind of town she wanted to hang around in for long.
Milly squirmed. “I’m thinking that the single women caught up in this thing don’t say no.”
Christy was at a loss for words. What kind of a woman would want men attacking her?
When the faces of Grant, Lance, and Duncan came to her, she knew her answer. If she were truthful with herself, she liked the idea of them attacking her. Although attacking wasn’t the right word. Maybe conquering was closer to the truth. Was that what Milly meant? She was sure she wasn’t the first woman who’d daydreamed—hell, wet-dreamed—about getting ravished by a dashing hero like in an old-time romance novel. Having three dashing heroes made it more enticing.
“Listen, I think I’m giving you the wrong impression. What I’m trying to do is give you a heads-up. When the amber moon is out, people get to do anything and everything they want. It’s understood that if you don’t want any part of it, then you either leave town—”
“Which isn’t an option for me.” She tried to keep her spiraling alarm from breaking free.
“Or you stay holed up somewhere until it’s over.”
“So you’re telling me to stay in the apartment until this amber moon thing has passed. Is that it?”
“Yeah. That’s it.”
“And when is that?” Although she’d given consideration to sticking around to see more of Grant and the Thorne cousins, she wasn’t so sure it would be worth it.
Oh, yeah it would. I’ve never felt
anything like what I felt when they touched me. Damn, when they just looked at me.
“Everything should calm down by Sunday morning. Until then, I’ll bring you food and anything else I can get for you.” Milly took her hand. “I know this is all freaky sounding, but you’ll be safe here. I’ll give you my cell number. If you need anything, you just call, okay?”
“Wait. So you’re not going to be around? At the diner or nearby?”
“I’ll be at the diner for some of it. For the rest of the time, one of my men will handle everything while I stick to home. Their names are Dan and Matthew Hudson.”
“You mean you have two boyfriends?”
“I consider them my husbands.”
“So they’re like common-law husbands?”
“Something like that. Plus, I have a stepdaughter who I’ll be keeping close to my side for the next couple of days. She’s too young to have any part of an amber moon.”
“Wow. Two men.” She didn’t add that she thought Milly was lucky to have two men to love her. If she ever found one man, she’d be grateful.
“If you hang around after this is over, you’ll find out that it’s not unusual for one woman to have more than one man. At least not in Forever.”
“Is Forever a polygamist community? And isn’t it supposed to be one man and lots of wives?”
Milly turned her hand loose and laughed. “I’m not sure if that’s the right word for it. We don’t really put a label on our relationships.”
She had to ask. Had to know if what she’d felt earlier with the men had been real. “Milly, can I ask you something personal?”
“Sure, hon. Fire away.”
“When the men were here and I touched first Grant, then Duncan, I got this really strange sensation. I know this sounds stupid, but it was like a huge electric current that zipped between us. But it didn’t hurt. In fact”—she dropped her gaze, embarrassed but needing to say it all the same—“it felt really good.” She looked into Milly’s gaze. “Really good. If you know what I mean.”
The sparkle of tears in Milly’s eyes threw her. She’d expected her to laugh, not cry. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I felt the same way when I met Dan and Matthew.”
“You did? Are you serious?”
“As serious as I’d be with a rattler chomping on my leg.”
“What is it?” She almost shouted at Milly when she hesitated. She had to tell her and not hold back. “Please, Milly. Tell me.”
“It’s an attraction. A major one, for sure, but an attraction.” Milly stood, signaling the end of their conversation. “Just know this. It’s up to you whether or not you want to act on that attraction. And that’s all I’m going to say for now.”
“Milly, you can’t leave me hanging like this.” She hurried after her as she moved toward the front door.
“I don’t mean to, but I can’t tell you any more than that.” She swung the door open. “I’ll check back in with you tomorrow morning and bring you a fresh cup of coffee and more food. Maybe a few books, too? Do you like romance novels?” She winked. “The hot, hot, hot kind?”
She wasn’t going to get any more information out of Milly. Not until the woman was ready. “If you’re talking about paranormal erotic romances, then yes. I’m a real sucker for a romance where the woman falls in love with a sexy werewolf.”
Milly’s smile grew. “Now that’s a girl after my own heart. You hang in there.” With that, she spun around, not giving Christy another chance to question her.
* * * *
“I’m not taking any chances. We have to keep her here.” Lance leaned over Christy’s car.
“Cuz, you’re getting worried over nothing.” Duncan put a hand on his cousin’s shoulder, only to have him shake it off. “She can’t go anywhere without a car.”
“You heard. Brig isn’t getting it running any time soon,” added Grant.
Lance circled her car, letting Grant and Duncan stand back and watch. “Yeah, I know. But I’ve got to make sure…” He yanked on the hood, revealing the engine.
“What the hell are you doing, cuz? You don’t know shit about cars.”
Lance leaned over the engine, searching for exactly the right thing. “Hell, I don’t know. I just figure if I can take something out, then maybe it’ll take even longer for Brig to fix it.”
“There’s no point. Brig is single. He’s not going to do any repair work, no matter what he told her, until at least Monday. She’s here to stay. By then, we’ll have claimed her and she won’t want to go.”
Everything Duncan said made sense, but he couldn’t help it. He was desperate. “You know she’s our mate. Why don’t you two stop yammering at me and tell me what to grab? I don’t know the insides of a car any more than I could fly a spaceship.”
“What do you boys think you’re doing?”
Lance jerked straight up, banging his head on the hood. “Shit.” He slammed the hood down, rubbed the already growing knot on his head, then turned to face Miss Clara. He’d have rather had anyone other than Miss Clara catch him messing with Christy’s car.
Miss Clara was the matriarch of Forever, the leading female shifter, and whatever she said or did was respected. Getting caught doing wrong by Miss Clara was worse than getting caught by his mother, his fathers, the school principal and all the alphas in the world combined.
“Hey, Miss Clara.” He kept rubbing his head where he’d hit the hood. “I didn’t hear you come up.”
“I reckon not.” She arched an imperious eyebrow. “I asked you what you think you’re doing.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks, Miss Clara.” He winced at the pain taking up residence in his head. “Okay, maybe it is, but I can explain.”
“You’re doing everything you can to keep that human female in town. Is that it?”
It figured that the old lady already knew. Somehow she always tuned into whatever was going on in Forever. No one was sure how and no one dared ask.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I heard Brig couldn’t fix her car. Least not yet anyway.” She came forward and slapped a hand against the door. “Damn foreign cars. People should stick to American-made vehicles.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Whether he meant it about Brig or about American cars didn’t matter. If he agreed with her and kept his mouth shut about everything else, maybe she’d give him a pass.
“Then if I were you, I’d do more than pull a few spark plugs.”
He wasn’t sure he’d know a spark plug if it hit him on the sore spot on his head.
“I’d pick the damn thing up and move it to where neither she nor Brig could find it.” The elderly woman walked around the car. “Can’t weigh so much that three healthy, strong werewolves couldn’t lift it.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “Miss Clara, are you telling me to steal her car and hide it?”
The mischievous gleam in her eyes was the only truthful answer he’d get. “Course not. I’m just yakking to yak.” She pointed a gnarly finger at him. “You three be careful the next couple of nights. Make decisions now while you can still think straight. You understand me?”
All three of them answered. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” She waved them aside. “Now get out of my way. I’ve got things to do before the moon comes out.”
Grant and Duncan saw the question on his face and tried to wave it off, but it was already too late.
“Miss Clara, were you here for the last amber moon?”
She paused, then slowly faced him. “I was.”
He wanted her to just tell him, but that was another thing about the old lady. She kept her cards close to her chest. “Was it as wild as they say?”
Her Mona Lisa smile worried him. “That would depend on how wild they said it was.”
Yet when he tried to ask another, more direct question, she whipped her hand up, palm out, silencing him. “You three best be making your choice. Moon’s coming soon.” With a gracefulness that belied her years, she turned on h
er heel and strode away.
Lance waited until she’d disappeared around the corner to speak. “You guys want to help me lift this?”
Grant collared him with a hard hold around his neck. “Shit no. The damn thing’s not going anywhere and neither is Christy. Let’s get home and talk about what we’re going to do.”
* * * *
Christy wandered around the apartment, picking up knickknacks and putting them back only to pick them up again whenever she came into the room. After she’d done that several times, she ended up on the couch, flipping through channels on the flat-screen television. Nothing, however, could hold her interest like the men had.
No man had ever made her feel the way Grant and Duncan had. And, although she hadn’t touched Lance, she sensed that she’d get the same sensation from him. They were handsome, sexy and confident, but that couldn’t account for the incredible sizzling feeling she got whenever they came close. They made her nerve endings come alive and her bones ache to pull their bodies against hers. Her mouth watered and her stomach fluttered. They were like testosterone-filled lamps and she a helpless moth. She was drawn to them even now when they weren’t in the same room with her. Being attracted to a man with every ounce of her being wasn’t normal. She knew that much. And yet she also knew that it was as natural as the air she breathed to be attracted to the three men who had taken her common sense away.
Thinking about them, however, for the past several hours wasn’t helping. She had to get them off her mind or find a way to stop the ever-growing sexual itch inside her.
Her hand slid between her legs. Maybe it would help to give herself the relief she so badly needed.
No.
That might make her want them even more.
Instead, she hugged one of the sofa pillows to her chest and forced her mind toward the other problem.
What in the world was an amber moon?
Tossing the pillow aside, she yanked her laptop out of one of the suitcases and turned it on. Turning to the Internet for answers wasn’t always a reliable way to go, but she didn’t have any other choice. Unless, of course, she wanted to ignore Milly’s warnings and go outside.
