by Marla Monroe
His cock hadn’t gone down once since he’d first seen her drool-worthy ass shake its way into the restaurant hours earlier. The best he could do was keep it from crippling him by readjusting it from time to time. He swore there would be thread marks crisscrossing the bastard when he finally got out of his clothes. Why hadn’t he worn boxers this morning?
“Okay, Cain. I’m ready. Let’s go.” Kay emerged from the dressing room with nothing in her arms to buy.
“Why is it that you say you’re shopping but haven’t bought a single thing yet?” he finally demanded.
“I’m finding what I want for when I can afford it later. That way I won’t have to do all of this trying on while I’m here.” She looked at him as if he should understand that crazy piece of logic.
“What if it’s not still here when you can afford it? What will you do then?” he asked.
“Try things on until I find what I like. Are you ready?” she asked.
“Sure. Where to next?” She’d finally relented and allowed him to drive her so she could focus on directions. It also meant he could let her out at the door and then find a parking spot so she wouldn’t waste valuable shopping time. Those had been his words to get her to cave and let him drive.
“Honestly, I’m tired. I’m ready to head home. Do we need to meet your friend somewhere to pick you up?” she asked.
“Really? You’re ready to go?” Cain couldn’t believe his good fortune.
“Yeah. I have a lot to do to get ready for work next week.”
“I’ll just drive home and then you can drive yourself home after that. My friend probably gave up on me calling him hours ago,” he told her.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You were never waiting on him in the first place, were you? You were always going to try and weasel your way into tagging along. I don’t understand, Cain. You obviously didn’t enjoy the shopping. Why subject yourself to it?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know. I thought you’d buy some things and I could see you model a few sexy outfits, but you didn’t wear anything out of the dressing room and you didn’t buy anything.”
“Oh,” was all she said as he helped her into the car.
“Do you enjoy your job, Kay?” he asked once they’d cleared the city limits.
“I like it well enough, I suppose. It isn’t what I’d pictured myself doing as a teenager, but I make it work for me. Part of my job is to make sure the ladies are safe and cared for. I take that part seriously. None of them want to be there. If they had any other way to pay their bills, they’d quit in a New York second, but they had to face the facts. They’re stuck in Hickory Hill for one reason or another, and there aren’t any jobs here for them to make ends meet.”
He could hear the sorrow in her voice. It burned its way into him and made him feel some of what she was feeling—despair and hopelessness. Knowing she was feeling those emotions had him gasping for air for a heartbeat.
“Are you okay? Pull over and let me drive.” Kay pounded on his back until he sat all the way up against the seat so she couldn’t reach it any longer.
“No. I’m fine. I just lost my breath for a second when I yawned.” Stupid lie.
Where did I come up with that one? She’ll never believe it.
“Oh. I guess that could happen. Are you sure you don’t need me to drive?” she asked.
“Thanks, but I’m fine. You were talking about taking care of the ladies. Who takes care of you? Makes sure you’re safe and cared for?” he asked.
She was silent for so long, Cain wondered if she would answer his question or not. Then the whisper of material told him she’d shrugged.
“I don’t know. I take care of myself. The security team makes sure I’m safe. I don’t need it like the ladies do. I don’t open my body to strangers on a daily basis and have to live with that. I don’t think anyone knows who doesn’t have to do it what kind of toll it takes on a woman. I can’t imagine how anyone not on drugs is able to deal with it. I’m so scared that one of my girls will start using or commit suicide or just give up. I hate running the place, but if I didn’t do it, who would make sure they were okay every night?”
Cain didn’t ask any more questions. He had all the answers they’d ever need. Kay wasn’t for sale, and she had the heart of a true Alpha bitch. She would care for and defend her wolves like they were her children, and when they had pups, she’d be even deadlier. He and Shade wouldn’t have condemned her for what she did for a living even if she’d been for sale to the clients who frequented the club. Their only issue had been how they could expect any of their wolves who’d been with her to respect her and follow her lead. Cain had no doubt they would have toed the line after spending the afternoon with her. He couldn’t wait for Shade to get to know the real Kay, their mate.
* * * *
They pulled off the main road and stopped at a gate with what looked to be a gatehouse to one side. She frowned and was about to ask Cain what was up when a man walked up to the driver’s side window. Cain rolled it down.
“Josh, thanks for keeping watch,” he said to the young man who quickly bowed his head and hurried to open the gate.
Kay was almost positive that he’d said something like “yes, Alpha,” but why would he say that? She watched as they drove past the gatehouse then looked behind them to see the young man close the gate again.
“You have a gatehouse with guards?” she asked, wondering what she’d gotten herself into.
“Yes. We have our own village here and like to keep everyone safe. You can’t be too careful these days,” Cain told her.
In the gloom of the trees and coming night, Kay couldn’t make out much until they stopped in front of a beautiful two-story house that had to be well over ten thousand square feet. Why would anyone need something that large?
“Here we are,” Cain said, turning off the engine and unfastening his safety belt. “Come in for a second for a cup of coffee or a drink before you head home.”
“Thank you, but I really should be getting back.” Kay unbuckled her own belt and turned to open the door, but someone had already done that. In fact, it was Shade standing on her side of the car holding the door wide.
“Hello, Kay. Did you have a good day shopping?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at Cain then lifted her chin at Shade. “I did. Thank you for lending me your bellboy to carry my packages and drive the car.”
Shade chuckled and winked at her. “I find that he can often be quite useful that way. Do come in.”
“Thank you, but I was telling Cain that I need to head back. It’s getting dark.” She really didn’t want to have to park and walk to the back door to get to her apartment above the club. It wasn’t the best neighborhood to be out in after dark.
“We’ll make sure you make it home safely, Kay. We would never allow you to come to any harm because of spending time with us. Come on.” Shade tugged her hand, and she felt like she didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, her hormones were working overtime again. What would it hurt to indulge them with a bit of man sniffing time? She didn’t have to do anything.
As they led her up the front porch steps, she took in how wonderfully comfortable it looked. There were ferns hanging from the ceiling with rocking chairs along the porch. She thought she could make out a swing farther down, but with the lights on the porch and the deepening dark beyond, she couldn’t be sure.
“Welcome to our home, Kay.” Shade sounded so formal. Cain smiled at her, and the two men allowed her to step into the foyer first before following her.
“It’s so pretty. I love all the natural wood,” she told them.
“It’s all original. The previous owners had it built from wood harvested on the land. There’s a lot of oak and hickory throughout the house,” Shade told her.
“Actually, Shade, it was their grandparents who built the house,” Cain pointed out.
Shade nodded. “True. I wasn’t thinking. Right this way.”
Kay followed th
em into a cozy living room complete with gas logs, two comfortable-looking couches, and several lounge chairs. They continued into the kitchen. It was quite large, maybe even industrial-sized with industrial-sized appliances like the walk-in fridge and the double gas ovens.
“With a kitchen like this, I would think you cooked for an army,” she said. “Oh my. That is a huge table!”
She walked over and ran her hand over the obviously well-used table that must have seated twenty. It was a monster of a table, but the thing that got her attention right away was that there was a smaller version of the table at the other end of the large eating area that also seated close to twenty. It had to be for children.
“How many people live here?” she asked without thinking.
“Oh. It depends. Sometimes we have fifteen or so, and sometimes there is only Cain and myself here. Normally though, we have at least two other families staying here,” Shade told her.
“I would think you would never be lonely then.”
“You’d be surprised,” he said. “Being surrounded by others doesn’t mean you are a part of them. Sometimes that’s when a man is at his most desperate.”
Cain took her hand and led her to the two sets of French doors that led back outside.
“Turn on the lights, Shade.” Cain threw open one set of doors, and Shade flipped a switch that lit up the entire deck system. She could only stare.
“What do you think?” Cain asked.
“I—I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” she admitted.
The deck was made up of multi levels with a large hot tub, which would seat at least ten adults, on the top level that hung over the backyard area. There was an outdoor kitchen that took up one side of the middle deck and seating on the opposite side of that. The bottom level had built-in seating, places for umbrellas, and farther out, a gazebo. Everywhere she looked there were wind chimes, sun catchers, and plants. The entire thing blended in with the landscape and seemed to take you directly into the woods. Whoever had designed it had been a genius.
“It’s beautiful. I can easily imagine having large family get-togethers here. I would think you would never need to come to town with so much available right here in your own backyard to entertain you.”
“You’re right. We even have an Olympic-sized swimming pool on the other side of the house. Mostly we only leave when we have business to attend to or someone needs to buy groceries,” Shade told her.
“Or you have an employee who’s gone and made a nuisance of himself at the local brothel,” she finished for him, feeling like a country bumpkin being shown how the rich folk lived.
“Come on then. Let’s have that cup of coffee,” Cain said, grasping her hand.
“You know. I think I might skip it tonight. I really should be heading home now. I appreciate the grand tour, but I have a lot to do to get ready for tomorrow.” She allowed Cain to lead her back inside, but as he closed the French doors, she pulled loose and started toward where she remembered the front entrance had been.
“Wait, Kay.” Shade stepped in front of her. “Don’t go.”
“What do you want with me, Shade? I don’t understand. Look at this place. You’re obviously wealthy and important in your community. I’m nobody. I run a brothel for goodness sakes. What could you possibly want with me?”
Shade looked over at Cain, who nodded with a fierce expression darkening his usually bright face. Were they part of the syndicate she worked for and owed her father’s debt to? Had they finally gotten tired of waiting for her to make her last payment and were going to kill her now? What would happen to her ladies? Who would take care of them?
Well, she wasn’t going down without a fight. Kay McKinnie wasn’t one to just lie down and take it. She’d fight them with her last breath. What did it matter that the only thing her body wanted was to hump them like a dog? She didn’t have to listen to her traitorous body. What did it know? She’d let herself think that maybe they were good men. She’d let the day shopping with Cain lull her into believing that he might really care for her. No man tolerated shopping unless they cared about the woman they were carrying around.
He might be laughing at her inside, but she’d get the last laugh when she ground her heel on the man’s balls. She wouldn’t be easy to kill unless they just shot her. If they did that, well then, she’d just die.
“Kay. We have a lot to explain. Sit down. Please,” Cain said.
“No. If you’re going to kill me, you’re going to have to work for it.” She turned to run only to make it as far as the kitchen door.
“Running isn’t a good idea, Kay. We’re barely hanging on by a thread now. We don’t want to hurt you, darling, but if you run from us, we might,” Shade told her.
She could feel their breath along the sides of her neck. It was hot and had the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing up. A longing so intense she thought she’d cry filled her. Why was her body betraying her like this? She wanted them with a fierceness that frightened her. They were going to kill her, and she wanted them anyway.
“What is happening to me?” she whispered around the thick arousal choking her.
“It’s the heat, Kay. You’re our mate,” Cain whispered back next to her ear.
Chapter Six
“Your what?” Had she heard him right, or was whatever was going on with her screwing with her hearing? She thought he’d said mate.
Cain held her hands in his and looked down into her eyes. He seemed to be trying to will her to hear him.
“Listen, Kay. We’re wolfen. We are an ancient race of magical beings who can change into the wolf when we want to. Unlike humans, we don’t date and fall in love,” he said. “We react when we scent our mates. The mating heat is initiated and we become one.”
“I—I don’t understand. God! I’m so hot!” She started pulling at her clothes, trying to tear them away from her body.
“This isn’t good, Cain. I’ve never heard of a female reacting this way before she’s been bitten,” Shade said.
“Bitten? What are you talking about? You’re not going to bite me. I need something to drink. I’m so thirsty,” she said to no one in particular.
When she started to walk back toward the kitchen, Shade stopped her. Kay started to pull away from him. “Easy, darling. Cain is going to get you some water. Just try and relax for us.”
Relax? Was he crazy? Her skin felt as if a thousand ants were crawling all over her. Her muscles twitched, and something was playing dodgeball in her womb. This wasn’t good.
I’m going crazy. The stress of everything is getting to me. I swear Cain said something about wolves and mates, and Shade mentioned biting me. I’ve got to get out of here.
“Come sit down, Kay. You look like you might fall down.” Shade gently led her over to the couch and eased her down.
“Here you go, honey.” Cain handed her a bottle of water. “Drink it slowly. I don’t want you to get sick.”
She took the cold bottle between her hands and ran it across her forehead. Why did they have the heat on in the summer? It was way too hot. She sipped the delicious water and only stopped when Shade took it from her.
“That’s enough, precious. You can have more in a few minutes.”
She fought to focus through the red haze that seemed to coat everything. With her sitting on the couch and the two men standing in front of her, Kay was at the perfect height for ogling their crotches. Both men were definitely sporting hard-ons. Before she realized what she was going to do, she’d leaned forward and rubbed her face all over the front of Shade’s jeans while cupping Cain’s package in her hand.
“Oh, boy. You two are definitely worth taking a look at. I want to see,” she whispered as Shade knelt in front of her and Cain took her hand in his.
“Listen to us, Kay. You’re not yourself right now. We’re going to take care of you to take the edge off, and then we need to talk. Okay?” Shade asked.
“Anything as long as I get to have
what you’re packing,” she cooed.
That stopped her dead. What was going on? She jerked her hand from Cain’s grasp and leaned away from Shade.
“What did you give me? This isn’t me,” she shouted in a hoarse voice. “I need to get out of here.”
As hard as she tried, Kay couldn’t make herself get up. It was as if her body knew she wanted to leave and wouldn’t allow her to do it. She could move her hands and feet, but she couldn’t make them take her to her car. Was it some kind of mind control?
“I promise, Kay. We didn’t give you anything at all. It’s the mating heat. Something’s wrong with it. You’re not supposed to be this aroused before we actually have sex and mark you,” Cain was explaining.
“I don’t understand. What is mating heat, and why would we have sex in the first place?” Kay didn’t want to admit that she wanted to have sex. She couldn’t decide if it was really her wanting it or if it was whatever heat they were talking about. She was hot, that was for sure.
“Carry her to the bedroom, Cain. I’m going to make a phone call to see if anyone has heard of this before.” Shade kissed her lightly on the forehead then started to turn away. “Cain. If she gets into trouble, ease her. I don’t want her in any kind of pain. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Pain? Oh yeah, there was pain all right. Her clit was throbbing like someone had pinched it, and her cunt ached. Her skin was on fire and itching all over. She didn’t think she could stand much more. Whatever Cain was supposed to do to help her, he needed to get started already.
Cain picked her up so fast she almost didn’t notice until the scenery changed from the warm colors of the living area to a brighter color, then they were going up some stairs. Kay was certain Cain was going to drop her.
“Put me down, Cain! I’m too heavy for you. You’ll drop me on my head, and then where will I be?”
His amused chuckle did nothing for her nerves. Instead, she grew angry that they were playing with her emotions like this. Nothing seemed normal to her anymore.
