Hunting Season (The Gathering Book 1)

by Shelly Laurenston

  There was only one redeeming value to this seriously sucking event.

  His eyes slid over to look at Neecy. She sat at the table with all the other Crows. Originally, their table was near the kitchen. A typical Cassie move. But she should have known better. Didi saw that shit exactly for what it was and took her Gathering over to a table filled with California Valkyries.

  “Move or we break out the talons.” And they did move, because few were stupid enough to fight with the Crows.

  He was very glad they moved, too. He had a nice clear view of Neecy from the dais he grudgingly sat at.

  Yager always knew he could fall in love with Neecy Lawrence. He just didn’t realize he’d already fallen in love with her. Head-over-heels, can’t-imagine-his-life-without-her, no-one-else-will-ever-do in love with her.

  Of course she kept fighting him. That’s what Neecy did with anyone not a Crow who tried to get too close. Not surprising really. She’d been through a lot. All the Crows had in one way or another. That’s what he found so amazing about all of them. They all found such joy in the lives they had now and he admired that.

  But Neecy… Neecy amazed him the most. She was everything he’d ever wanted. Now he had to figure out how to get her. Not just sex either. He wanted to come home at night and find her there. He wanted to check in with her before he committed to any weekend offers because she may have already planned something for them. He wanted to get pissed because all her girly shit was overtaking his apartment.

  That’s what he wanted, and it had been a long time since he hadn’t gotten what he wanted.

  Staring at Neecy, he found himself thinking about her naked.

  Naked and wet and all over him.

  “If you stare at her any harder…”

  Yager smiled and turned to the older woman next to him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Morgan laughed. An old school Valkyrie, the fifty-four-year-old woman practically raised Yager and his generation of Ravens. She taught them everything important. How to throw a good punch, how to set things on fire discreetly, and how to pick up girls.

  And Morgan had made him well aware of how much the current Valkyrie situation galled her.

  The Valkyries Yager was raised with were mighty in their fierceness. Their sexiness came out of their outright viciousness and Viking-like philosophies. Like the Original Seven, the Valkyries he knew and loved did not play games, try and act cute, or take anyone’s crap. Especially Odin’s.

  “Gorgeous, isn’t she?”

  “Has someone stolen my little Will’s heart?”

  “Like a thief in the night.”

  “Well, all I have to say is, thank the gods it’s a Crow. If it were one of these wannabe Valkyrie bitches, I’d be beyond pissed.”

  The beauty of Morgan… she never really said anything quietly. Typical Jersey Shore female, although she and her family now lived near his Long Island home. Yager didn’t have to look to know every young Valkyrie eye on the dais was glowering at Morgan. And Morgan knew it, too—she simply didn’t care.

  “And you know I like the Crows. I did some work with Didi once. She’s fierce.” Morgan looked over at the Crow table and Yager knew exactly what the woman would do before she did it.

  “Hey, Didi! Didi! It’s me! Morgan!”

  Yager looked down at his plate to hide his grin. Fancy dinner and Morgan yells across the room.

  “Very nice, Morgan.”

  Morgan slammed back her scotch and motioned to a waiter for another. “Was that not subtle?”

  Yager laughed.

  She tapped his hand. “Are you out on the Island this weekend?”

  “Maybe. I’m really hoping to get in some Neecy time.”

  “Aw, nothing quite like bird love.”

  “You Valkyries are always so jealous. The only thing that flies around you is your horses.”

  Morgan smiled as she took the scotch handed to her. “Smartass. Wherever did you get that attitude from?”

  “You.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She chuckled. “So, is she coming?”

  Yager smiled, and Morgan rolled her eyes in response. “Is she coming to Long Island, you goober.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it. I guess I could ask her.”

  Morgan stared up at him. “You forgot to comb your hair again, didn’t you?”

  Yager winced. “Yeah.”

  She smiled at him in that maternal way she seemed to keep just for him. “You always forget to comb your hair.”

  “Yeah. I think it bothers Neecy.”

  Choking out a laugh, Morgan put her scotch down untouched. “Yeah. That’s it. She hates it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing. Nothing.” She glanced over again at the table of Crows. “What do you think they’re talking about over there? Men, clothes, or shoes?”

  “The Crows? I’m sure it’s something… scary.”

  “There is a definite, specific distinction between a psychopath and a sociopath, Connie.”

  “Yes, Katie, but we’re talking about narcissists and I just don’t see that they’re any different from sociopaths.”

  “You’re wrong. There are definite differences between the two.”

  Neecy glanced over to see Arri rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn. Such a cute little thing. Although she should rethink dying her hair that color green. It did not suit her.

  Neecy brought her Long Island Iced Tea to her lips as Janelle stared off across the room and quietly stated, “If I were any more bored, I’d set myself on fire.”

  Spitting out her drink, Neecy burst into a laugh, the other Crows joining in as they helped her wipe up.

  Janelle chuckled. “Sorry, hon. You okay?”

  Neecy nodded as a waiter swooped in and took her empty glass and cleaned up what he could.

  “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

  “He’s staring at you again.”

  Neecy didn’t even turn around this time, knowing Katie meant Yager. Neecy had sensed the moment Yager’s eyes were on her. She could feel it like a physical touch. Still, she wanted to check, to see those amazing eyes looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But she knew if she did that, she’d end up staring and he’d stare back and then it would get typically embarrassing.

  Janelle shook her head. “Hon, he’s got it bad.”

  “That’s not my problem.”

  “I don’t see a problem.”

  “Of course you don’t. ‘Cause it’s not your problem.”

  “Forget it, Janelle.” Katie, sitting sideways, leaned back in her chair, her arm casually hanging over it. “Until she gets over her past, she’s going to continue being this way.”

  Neecy wasn’t sure what pissed her off more. The fact that Katie discussed her like she wasn’t in the room. Or the fact that she actually had the balls to bring up her past.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means that until you let your past and what you did as a kid to survive go, you’ll never think you deserve anything that’s not specifically Skuld related.”

  “Are you done?”

  “No.” Katie adjusted the latex bustier of her dress. A bit of her tattoo stuck out from under it. There were two cops working the city streets this night wearing that same tattoo. “Yager represents what you consider to be nice, clean, and wholesome.”

  Neecy laughed suddenly. She couldn’t help herself. She’d fucked the man. Wholesome was not a word she’d equate to Wilhelm Yager.

  Katie paused for only a moment before continuing. “Too nice for the girl who proudly sported gang tattoos. Too wholesome for the girl who used to deal drugs to college kids. Too clean for the girl who used to steal cars and had to sleep in an alley more than once.”

  “Well, who hasn’t done that?” Janelle asked while staring at her margarita.

  “Don’t even get me started on you, J. Your throat is just begging for a collar.”

  Janelle nodded, then her
head snapped up. “Huh?”

  It galled Neecy how close Katie was to the truth. Closer than she wanted anyone to get. Even her sisters.

  “Back off, Katie.”

  “What’s the matter, Neece? Hitting a little too close to home?”

  “In a second that won’t be the only thing that’s hit.”

  Katie held up her hands. “Fine. But remember, Yager’s not the kind of guy who’s going to sit around waiting for you to get over your bullshit.”

  “Didi! Didi!” The Crows all turned and stared up at the dais as one of the older Valkyries made her way over to Didi.

  “A friend of yours, boss?”

  “Don’t start, J. Morgan is very good people. Old school Valkyrie.”

  “You mean the real Valkyries?”

  “Pretty much.”

  Arri leaned over, tapping Neecy’s arm. “How much longer?” she whispered.

  Glad to be discussing anything besides her past or Yager, Neecy leaned down and whispered, “There’s still the speeches, I think.”

  “Speeches?” Arri looked stricken. The glamour of coming to this little event had worn off for her and like the rest of them, she was ready to go.

  “Yeah. I know. And they’re really boring.”

  Appearing on the verge of tears but this time from boredom, Arri stood up. “I’ll be right back. Going to the ladies’.” She headed out of the big room.

  Who said “going to the bathroom” like that anymore, besides Arri?

  “Where’s she going?” Didi asked as she sipped her martini.

  “She’s going to the ladies’.” When Didi simply stared at her, “She went to hit the head.”

  “Oh! Why didn’t you just say that then?”

  Neecy shook her head as Katie and Janelle followed after Arri to the bathroom. When Didi stood up to talk to the Valkyrie who’d yelled at her across the room, Neecy glanced up at the dais hoping to catch a glimpse of Yager, but he was gone.

  Damn. He must have gone to hit the head, too.

  Katie quickly came back into the room and wound her way over to the table. She crouched down beside Neecy. “You better come quick,” she whispered, glancing up at Didi.

  “What? What’s wrong?” she whispered back.

  “I think Arri’s having a little bit of a panic attack.” Clearly Katie didn’t want Didi to hear. Everyone knew she still wasn’t ready to give Arri her blessing. Something like this would make her crazy.

  “Crap.” Neecy pushed her chair out. “Um… I’ll be back, Didi. Gotta take care of something.”

  Didi gave a dismissive wave as she continued her conversation.

  Neecy followed Katie out into the main reception area and that’s when Katie grabbed one arm and Janelle caught the other.

  “Hey!”

  The two women dragged her through the hotel reception and out the front doors. Then they tossed her into the back of a limo. She landed face-first into Yager’s lap.

  Arri leaned in and tossed her jacket at her. “Have fun!” Then they slammed the door closed and the limo pulled out into traffic.

  Neecy pushed herself up and glared at Yager.

  “You know,” he said with a huge grin, “you could have kept your head in my lap.”

  She sat back into the plush leather seat. “Now you’re involving sweet, innocent Arri in your bullshit?”

  “What can I say? She likes me.”

  Neecy pushed her bangs out of her eyes. At some point she would really need a haircut. She glanced out the window. Unable to hide her frustration, she growled, “Why are we heading downtown?”

  “I want to see your apartment.”

  “Why?”

  “‘Cause I wanna see your bed.”

  Yager hadn’t even moved but she held her hand up anyway. “Stay right where you are, Yager.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  “Yeah. But you’re giving me that look again. And I don’t plan on doing anything in this freakin’ limo.”

  Smiling, Yager settled back in the seat. “You’re no fun.”

  They eyed each other from their respective corners. Finally, Yager asked, “You got condoms, right?”

  “Here?”

  He sighed. “In your apartment.”

  “Oh… uh… hmmmm.”

  He really shouldn’t enjoy the fact that she couldn’t remember if she had condoms or not, but he did. Knowing Neecy as well as he did, he had no doubt the only reason she may not have condoms in her apartment was because she hadn’t had a partner in a while. Good. Why should he be the only one suffering since he had that mind-blowing vision?

  Yager hit the intercom. “Hey, Chuck. Do me a favor and stop at the drugstore before we get to Dr. Lawrence’s apartment.”

  “You got it.”

  He looked over at Neecy and found her with her face in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

  “Are you trying to embarrass the hell out of me?”

  “Come on, Neecy. We’re all adults. Besides, would you prefer he thought I was going in bareback?”

  “Who said you were… I… Oh!” She turned away and stared out the window. But she didn’t tell him to stop the limo. Thank God.

  Yager loved that he could get Neecy all worked up and crazy. In almost every other aspect of her life, Neecy ruled with an iron fist. Always in complete and utter control. Yet for some reason, he made her positively unglued.

  “You all wet for me, Lawrence?”

  Neecy’s head snapped around and immediately her eyes strayed to the intercom.

  “Don’t worry, baby. It’s not on.” He looked her in the eye. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Ever. You know that, right?”

  She stared at him for so long, he thought for sure she was about to say, “Are you fucking kidding?” But instead, she simply nodded her head, turned back to the window, muttering low, “Yeah, Yager. I know.”

  He watched as her finger came up and drew a small star in the condensation on the window. He decided to leave her alone until they got to her place, since he didn’t want her jumping out of a moving limo just to get away from him.

  But the next thing she said to him got his cock so hard; he barely managed to stay over on his side. “And I am all wet for you.”

  Keys hitting the floor never sounded so loud. As she quickly crouched down to retrieve them, Yager was already there, scooping them up.

  “Which one?”

  Pointing at her front door key, “That one.”

  They both stood up at the same time and Yager reached around her to put the key in the lock. With his free hand, he encircled her waist and brushed his lips against the side of her neck.

  She leaned against him, enjoying the feel of his hard chest against her back. Somehow, he managed to kiss her neck while unlocking her front door. He pushed the door open and, while keeping a tight hold on her waist, walked them both into the apartment.

  Once inside, with the door closed and locked, Yager stopped and stared. “I was going to ask you where the bedroom is, but…”

  She smiled and stepped into her loft apartment.

  “Christ, woman. Is that a basketball court?”

  “Just a half one.”

  She took his hand and led him into the enormous room. “Before you wonder if this is from drug money, one of the older Crows hooked me up. The building’s rent-controlled. I only pay three-fifty a month.”

  Again Yager stopped and stared, but this time at her. “You got this place for how much? And I never thought it was from drug money.”

  She chuckled. Neecy had always loved her apartment. It was, to be blunt, freakin’ enormous. It used to be an old warehouse that a Crow, way before Neecy’s time, bought and renovated. Since then, only Crows lived in or owned this building. The current owner was a cranky old Crow, so she and Neecy got along just fine.

  “You know what I find amazing?”

  Neecy pulled off her jacket and threw it over the bed and into the chair filled with a week’s worth of dirty clothes. Th
en she jumped back onto her big bed and bounced there several times before she settled down. “No. What?”

  “The fact that you have all this space with your motorcycle over there, a half court over there—” he gestured to bookshelves right behind him, “—and you still have all your books piled into one corner.”

  Neecy winced. “I keep meaning to get to that.”

  “Sidetracked with all that saving-the-world stuff?”

  Snorting a short laugh, “Give me a break. All we do is keep the balance. That’s it. I leave saving the world to the Christians and Greenpeace.”

  She lay back on her bed and proceeded to kick her shoes off.

  “Need some help with the dress?”

  For a split second, Neecy almost said, “What the hell for?” Then her dumb ass caught up with the moment and she took a deep breath. She’d given up the fight. At least for tonight. She wanted to fuck Yager. She wanted to fuck him bad.

  “Yeah. That’d be great.”

  Yager pulled off his cashmere coat and laid it across a kitchen chair. He slowly walked to the bed and stood in front of her. “Stand up.”

  Sliding off the bed, Neecy stood in front of Yager. Gently, he gripped her shoulders and turned her away from him.

  His hands slid across her bare shoulders, caressing the skin. Neecy closed her eyes, enjoying the rough feel of Yager’s fingers against her flesh.

  “I do really like you in this dress.”

  Working really hard not to squirm, she said, “Thanks. I felt a little ridiculous in it. It’s not my thing.”

  Neecy felt Yager’s mouth on her neck at the same time the dress zipper slid down.

  “You’re not wearing a bra.”

  When you’re an average “A”, there was really not much reason. “No.”

  “So the panties only, huh?”

  “Except for the shoes and the thigh-highs, yeah.”

  Yager buried his face in her neck and groaned. “Don’t add anything, Lawrence. You’re already killing me.”

  “Really?” she asked, surprised at the husky tone of her voice. “So I shouldn’t tell you how hard it was not to squirm in my seat the whole night? Or how I kept thinking about you naked and between my thighs—”

  Yager’s hand clamped around her mouth. “You really need to stop talking now.” He pulled her back against his body. “At least until we get this first one out of the way.”