by L. P. Maxa
“Oh god, Keller, how is you moving like that? Don’t stop, that feels so good.”
He took inventory of his body. His hands were on her back and his mouth was at her neck. He started to laugh when he realized what was happening. “That’s my phone, darling’, it’s on vibrate. I’m good, but I’m not that good.” He reached between them to pull his cell out of his front pocket. “It was my alarm. My first class starts in thirty minutes. I’ve got to head back to campus.” He leaned his head back on his headrest and stared at her. “Don’t go out with the Fed.”
Molly pursed her lips, as if she was contemplating her response. “Give me a reason not to.”
He cupped her face in his hands and slowly brought her mouth back to his. He let his tongue dance across hers and then sucked gently on her lower lip before releasing her. “That a good enough reason?” His eyes searched hers. He prayed it was, but it was all he could give her right now. His body had set something in motion that he would be powerless to stop. However, he still needed time. He needed to wrap his head around what his future would look like.
He needed to figure out how to tell her.
She must have seen the utter desperation in his gaze because her face softened. “That’ll do for now.” She grabbed her tea, opened his door and climbed off his lap and out of the truck. “I’m keeping the sweatshirt.”
“Please do. It looks better on you than it ever did on me.” He winked and watched as she walked into her house. Too bad that sweatshirt was so big on her. It obstructed his view of her perky ass.
As he pulled out of the driveway, the smile on his face slowly began to fade. The further away from her he got, the more reality set in. What had he been thinking? He should have never done that. He had known the first time he’d touched her skin that she was his soul mate. Though his instincts were to claim her, he’d hammered them into submission.
It had been difficult to be around her. At times he had been edgy and moody, but he was managing. He was a shifter, and this was part of his life, his culture. He had laid awake night after night trying to figure out what he wanted. He’d always known that eventually he’d settle down, but right now? Molly was sweet and beautiful and wonderful and way too good for him. How could he be sure that he wouldn’t screw this up? How could he be sure he would become the man she needed?
And now was definitely not the time to tell Molly the truth—that shifters were in fact real, and she was surrounded by them on a daily basis. With his luck one of the FBI agents would see him shift for her and they would all be in trouble.
But man, that kiss.
He needed more; he had to have more. Maybe he could just date Molly. They could see each other and kiss and mess around; he just wouldn’t have sex with her. No sex with her meant no claiming her. His instincts would switch into hyper-drive being so close to her and touching her all the time and would scream at him to claim her, but hell, he was a strong guy; he could handle it.
At least until the investigation wrapped up; then he could tell her the truth without exposing his whole family.
He had a plan.
Everything was going to be okay.
Right?
Chapter Two
Keller
Later that evening Keller was sitting at Dom and Coop’s dining room table, cold beer in hand and Molly’s lips still on his mind. Coop was sitting across from him with her feet propped up in Dom’s lap to her right. Riley was sitting to her left. Almost always, she was flanked by those two males these days. Dom was the first one of Keller’s friends to have a mate and a baby on the way. The guy always wore the biggest grin on his face. Keller loved Coop like a sister and was so happy for them, and he couldn’t wait to meet their baby girl. Riley was the baby’s cosmic soul mate, in a completely un-Twilighty way. Riley was to be her protector because she was going to be special; she’d have a little more shifter DNA than your average human female. And then there were his other two best friends and fellow coaches, Linc and Baze. The six of them had somehow (accidentally) formed their own pack and meetings like the one that had been called tonight had become pretty common, especially since Henderson had been found murdered and the investigation was launched.
Dom cleared his throat and began. “I got a call from Detective Fuller this afternoon. He emailed me all the information he has on the investigation.”
“Why would he do that?” Linc peeled at the label on his beer bottle. “I know he’s a shifter and he doesn’t want us exposed, but I thought he said that the Feds were convinced Henderson was nuts and this was just a formality.”
“They do think Henderson was nuts, and it would be so easy for us to answer their questions and send them on their way.” Dom made eye contact with each of them in turn. “But Franklin hired Bull to kill Henderson, not to mention to attack Corey and Riley. Now that Franklin’s had Bull killed I think it’s up to us to put Franklin behind bars.” Dom reached for Corey’s hand. “He has to be convicted of something. He needs to pay for what he has done.”
Mr. Franklin was Jace and Jasper’s father, not to mention a sadistic bastard. He was a criminal and he’d sent someone to rape Corey. Riley had gotten hurt in the process. Bull, the lackey Franklin had sent to do the dirty work, had been killed in prison. Of course there was no way to connect Franklin to any of it. He’d even seemed to get off without jail time for beating his son Jace. He’d lost custody, which he probably never wanted in the first place, but nothing more. And the POS deserved a whole lot more.
Linc threw his wadded-up beer label at Baze. “Dom, man, I get what you’re saying. But if the Feds can’t link him to Henderson, how are we supposed to?”
Dom tapped the table with his finger. “Fuller has been doing some digging around in the shifter circles and it turns out that Franklin’s business is less than reputable. He has all kinds of illegal stuff going on—money laundering, gambling, loan sharks. His business is more like the mob than the Fortune five hundred company that fronts it.”
Keller leaned his chair back on two legs and put his hands behind his head. “I’m with Linc—how are we supposed to point all this out? We aren’t even supposed to know this information.”
Riley let out a deep breath. “Use us. Jasper, Jace and me. We can steer them in Franklin’s direction without causing any alarm bells to go off.”
Corey turned to Riley. “No way. We are not putting you three in any more danger. Franklin has already abused both his sons and I won’t let him set his sights on you again. If Franklin is as dirty and corrupt as he seems, it wouldn’t surprise me if he has some Feds in his pocket too.” Corey was protective of all the men in her life, and Riley was just a kid when it came down to it.
“Corey, it’s the only way this can work. Think about it. Mr. Henderson set this whole thing in motion by questioning Jasper for so long that day. Jasper told Jace, and Jace had every intention of telling Mr. Franklin. Because he knew his father would put a stop to it.” Riley jabbed the table with his finger, dramatically trying to get his point across. “If all three of us tell that same story, the investigators have to look into it. Plus, now that we know that Mr. Franklin’s business is dirty, maybe we can mention that Mr. Henderson was asking Jace and Jasper questions about their father’s company. That would give Mr. Franklin motive for having Henderson killed.” Riley fist-pumped the air in victory, and Keller barely stifled a snort. The kid had some flair, he’d give him that.
Baze, always the quiet, most thoughtful of the group, cleared his throat and finally spoke up. “Riley is right. It’s the perfect way to accomplish everything. It steers the Feds away from the shifters, and it lets them know that Henderson and Franklin are connected. Hell, it even gives them reason to look further into Franklin’s companies. I don’t want to see the kids hurt either, but this is perfect.” He gave them a small shrug.
Keller looked across the table at Coop who was chewing her lower lip, a sure sign that she was nervous. “Coop, we’ll make sure the kids are safe. Riley is already w
ith us most of the time anyway. We’ll just keep a closer eye on Jace and Jasper. Don’t worry, no one else is going to get hurt.”
Corey put her head in her hands. “I can’t deal with any more of this tonight. I’m too emotional and exhausted. I am so ready for my second trimester.” She looked up and squared her shoulders. “Riley, pack a bag. After you talk to the Feds, you are staying here until this is all resolved. No arguments. The rest of you are going to have to take turns looking out for Jace and Jasper.”
All five of them said their own version of yes ma’am and in return they all got hugs goodnight. Dom got up to go tuck his mate into bed. Riley headed back to campus. Baze, Linc, and Keller each grabbed a fresh beer and went out onto the back porch. Keller took a sip, stretching his legs out in front of him. He knew the question he was about to ask was going to have his friends looking at him like he was crazy. “Do you guys ever think about settling down? Like Dom.”
“Nope. Not even a little.” Linc smiled as he gazed up at the stars. “My life is amazing. I have all the girls I can possibly handle, I have cold beer, and I have baseball. What more could a guy ask for?”
Baze nodded. “I agree. I’m not blind. I see how happy and in love Dom is. But I’m not sure that life is for me.” He turned and studied Keller. “Why do you ask?”
Keller shrugged as casually as he could. “No reason. Just watching the two of them in there. The way Dom always has to be touching her, the way he reacts when he remembers the attack, the way he follows orders, the way he’s such a giant pussy.”
“Hey, jackass, I heard that.” Dom came out onto the patio and took the empty chair beside him.
Keller laughed, letting Dom know he had heard him coming all along. “I say ‘giant pussy’ with the utmost respect.”
“I’m sure you do.” Dom looked around the patio, a smile on his face. “I have to tell you guys, I never imagined this would be my life. A mate, and a baby on the way. But I am so insanely happy it’s unreal. She is everything I never knew I always wanted. I was an idiot to ever try to deny it, to try to send her away. When I think about not having her in my life, it makes my heart hurt.” His hand went to his chest, rubbing circles as if he was trying to relieve an ache.
Linc nodded. “Giant. Fucking. Pussy.”
Baze cracked his neck and turned to Keller once again. “What’s with you tonight, man? There is something different. What happened today?”
Keller should have known better than to open his mouth. Baze was so damn insightful even without his supernatural shifter powers of perception. Keller thought seriously for a few seconds about lying to his friends again. But, in the end, he just needed to get it off his chest. He needed to tell someone. He needed advice.
“I, uh, Molly. I think she’s my forever.”
“I knew it. I told you guys she was his.” Dom pointed at Baze and Linc, grinning like he’d just won the lottery.
“You knew?” Keller thought he had his emotions under control. He tried so damn hard to keep himself in check, which wasn’t easy. Every time Linc had made a pass at Molly—which had been futile since she seemed immune to Linc’s charms—Keller’d had to walk away so he didn’t knock out one of his best friends.
Dom nodded. “Ever since the night you called her breathtaking.”
“It’s just an expression.” Keller narrowed his eyes.
“It was the way you said it, the look on your face. Like you were remembering the moment she literally took your breath away. It happened to me when I saw Corey for the first time. Have you told Molly? Is that why you’ve been avoiding her? Ohhhh, and your mood swings.” Dom shook his head dramatically. “Typical pre-claiming behavior.”
Keller sighed. “I haven’t told her. I figured it out a few weeks ago but I wasn’t sure I was ready, you know? I didn’t know if I could settle down. Molly is so wonderful and she deserves better, but it’s getting harder and harder to stay away.” He hung his head, debating whether or not to share what had happened earlier. In the end he knew they’d find out away. Molly would tell Coop, and Coop would tell Dom. Then Dom would tell everyone else. “We kissed today for the first time, and now—”
Dom chuckled. “And now you are going crazy. It’s taking every ounce of control you have to sit here and talk to us instead of going straight to her house and claim what’s yours.”
“Pretty much.” Keller nodded and took a long pull of his beer. “But with the investigation going on it’s just not the right time to tell her about the claiming and the whole shifter thing. So, I was wondering, do you guys think it would be possible for me to date her? And, you know, mess around without actually completing the bond?” In his head it was the perfect solution, the best of both worlds.
“Yeah sure. I mean it’ll probably be hard but I assume it’s possible.” Dom tossed his empty bottle into the nearby trashcan. “To complete the claiming, you have to have sex without anything between you, no condoms, and you can’t pull out either. So as long as you don’t do either one of those things you should be golden.”
Baze shook his head. “Hard? It’ll be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done in your entire fucking life. Everything inside you is going to be screaming at you to claim her. It’s going to physically hurt you, torture you—both of you, for that matter. You’ve kissed her, you’ve touched her, and you’ve already put this in motion.”
“How do you know it’ll hurt her?” Keller turned a panicked gaze toward his only friend with a mate. “Dom, will I be hurting her?” The last thing Keller ever wanted to do was cause Molly one second of pain.
Dom shrugged. “I don’t know man, sorry. I could ask Corey, but everything moved really quickly for us. We kissed maybe three times before I told her the truth and then claimed her that same night. I don’t think there was much time for anything like that to happen.” Dom turned to Baze. “How do you know that will happen, that they’ll both be in pain?”
Baze sat silently for a long time, twirling his beer bottle in circles. “I read it in a book.” He stood up, apparently completely over their conversation. “I’m headed home. Linc, you want a ride?”
“Hells yeah.” He got up and tossed his two empties into the trash. They were always good about cleaning up after themselves. Corey would flip if they left bottles all over the patio. “All this love talk is killing my buzz.” He threw up his hand on his way out. “Later.”
Keller waited silently as Linc and Baze left. He was so torn, so conflicted with everything to do with Molly. He hadn’t meant for that morning to happen; he never planned to kiss her. “How did you know, man? How did you know that this was the path for you? That you would be the man Corey needed you to be and that you could make her happy forever?”
Dom sent him a small smile like he felt for what Keller was going through. “Looking back on everything, the decision was instantaneous. The first time I saw her, I knew my life had changed forever. I tried to be all macho and manly about it, tried to send her away, tried to act like she was just some fling. But I was only kidding myself. I am the man that she needs. The universe made us for each other and I’ll always strive to make her happy because that’s what I was born to do. You’ve got to have some faith, Keller—faith that there is someone or something bigger out there that knows what they’re doing.
“There’s a reason that she takes your breath away, a reason you think about her day and night. I’ll ask you like I asked Corey, can you believe in a love like that?” Dom reached over and clapped Keller on the back. “If you can, go get your girl.”
Chapter Three
Keller
Keller stood on his back porch, phone in hand, staring at the field lights in the distance. Today was game day, his favorite day of the week. Back where he grew up, in a small Texas town, football was royalty. But here at St. Leasing, baseball was king. He took a deep breath of the fresh early morning air, trying to calm his nerves. He had skipped yoga that morning for no other reason than he was a coward. He didn’t know how he woul
d react to seeing Molly again, and he hadn’t been quite ready to find out.
Dom suggested that Keller invite her to the game tonight, especially since they had the home field advantage. Coop went to all the home games, so Molly would have company in the stands while Keller did his coaching thing. Plus, everyone would go to Dom and Coop’s house after the game, so Keller would get to hang out with Molly without the pressure of an actual date. Seemed he had it all figured out; the only thing he needed to do now was grow a pair and call her.
Last night Dom had made everything seem so easy, but all Keller’s fears of commitment and not being good enough had surfaced again as soon as he’d woken up. He hadn’t slept well— he’d tossed and turned nonstop.
He sighed and dropped his head. Resigned, he slid open his phone. Maybe a text would be better, seem more casual.
Keller: Mornin’ Miss Molly. Sorry I missed yoga. I had a rough night. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come out to the ball game this evening? Then head over to Dom and Coop’s with me?
He spent the next ten minutes staring at his phone, pacing back and forth like a damn fool waiting for her reply. When he’d had enough of his own juvenile behavior, he shoved his phone in his pocket and headed to work. He continued to check his mobile every five minutes for the next two hours. He was supposed to be coaching batting practice with the freshmen, but he was distracted as all get out and nearly took a line drive to his head. Finally, five hours after he’d sent it, when he was sitting in his office staring at his computer but seeing nothing, his phone dinged with her reply.
Molly: I would love to. See you tonight.
