Just as she’d thought.
Great.
She flinched away from his touch and glared at him. “Could you just stop … touching me. And … breathing.”
He laughed. “I’ll try, but your body is calling to us.”
Ryan gripped her thigh with his free hand. “You should have let us put the plug back in before we left,” he teased. “We need to finish this claiming soon or you’ll think hot.”
Held stiff between them, she tipped her face into her hands and moaned. What she wanted was for Ryan to pull the truck over right now along the side of the rural road and take her as they desired.
She had to stay focused. There were bigger things to worry about than where, when, how, and who to fuck. Right?
“Jeez…” She kept her head down and held her breath as long as she could for a short reprieve. It didn’t work.
“Ugh,” she screeched in frustration. “Stop the car. No … don’t.” She squeezed her temples with both hands. Concentrate. Just ignore them … and their damn smell.
She leaned to the right slightly as the car lurched onto the gravel. Damn. Why couldn’t she have kept her freaking mouth shut?
She peaked to the right when Alex popped the door open and stepped out. Before she could even mutter a word, he dragged her body to the edge of the seat, popped her jeans open, yanked the zipper down, and tugged the stifling pants off her body, her panties with them.
She gasped.
Ryan pulled her shirt over her head from behind and laid her down flat on the seat. Two seconds later he’d snapped open the front clasp of her bra, and she found herself reclined naked between them on the side of the road. Oh, holy hell. What had she gotten herself into?
“Put your foot here.” Alex angled her left foot onto the dash, and then grasped her right ankle and braced it against the door frame, effectively exposing her entirely to his gaze. He didn’t look at her face.
She blushed, heat perfusing her entire body when Ryan reached across to knead her tight breasts with both hands, his thumbs dragging over her nipples.
She grabbed at the seat with both hands alongside her, unable to get any purchase against the leather, and groaned in defeat when Alex’s mouth covered her mound and sucked her clit into its warmth.
“We’re just going to take the edge off before you explode, hon.” Ryan’s voice soothed her from behind.
When Alex clenched both her thighs at the same time, perilously close to her center, and abruptly invaded her with both thumbs, she came, hard, calling out their names in succession. “Alejandro, Ryan … God.” As though God too were present for the entertainment.
As her breathing resumed a normal rate, and she opened her eyes to the scene, Alex leaned forward with a chaste kiss on the lips. “Better?”
“Marginally.” She twitched around his thumbs still thrust inside her.
“I’d be happy to strip and really rock your world if you want.” His look melted her on the spot and she glanced around. Shit. They were outside, on the side of the road. She hadn’t been such a hussy a few days ago.
A car whooshed by them and Lindsey nearly jumped out of her skin. “Oh, no.” She scrambled away from the edge on her back, dislodging Alex’s intrusion with a small pop. Could anybody see her well-fucked naked self as they drove by?
“No one can see you, mi amor. Except us.”
“Jeez. Gimme my clothes, you apes.” She jerked her arms through the air, grasping at the material in front and behind her. All thoughts of continuing this insanity flew out the open door.
Ryan continued plucking at her nipples, expertly reinstating her need to get laid … hard, fast, and now. She batted at his hands and yanked her bra into place with a glare in his direction.
“Stop it. You’re torturing me. Both of you. And you know it.” She lifted her ass off the damp leather and shimmied her panties and then her jeans up her legs. “Damn horny bastards,” she mumbled through gritted teeth.
Chuckles filled the air as she wrenched her T-shirt back over her head.
“Hornier than you, mi amor. You just came all over my hand. And it was bellísima.” He grasped her chin with one hand as he climbed back into the car, invading the tight confines once again. When she met his gaze, he took her mouth in a demanding kiss that curled her toes and melted her soul.
“Sorry, I’m just…”
“We know.” Alex let her go and sat back, this time pulling her legs across his lap and angling her body so she could lie down between them.
Her head landed on Ryan’s lap as his fingers brushed stray hairs from her face. “Relax for a while. We’ll be there soon.”
* * * *
Ryan pulled the truck to a stop outside Justin’s sprawling ranch and marveled for a moment on all his brother had right here at his fingertips. He and Alex needed to bump heads, and soon, about finding a place of their own before they wore out their welcome at other people’s houses.
Of course they could stay here with his brother, at his parent’s, or even with Alejandro’s relatives, but how long did newly mated couples, or ménages in this case, want to do that?
“Not very long, my friend. Not very long…” Alex voice was a clear grumble in Ryan’s head as he opened the car door and stepped out.
“We’re here, hon.” Ryan brushed his fingers over Lindsey’s peaceful face. The short nap would do her good.
“Hmm.” She looked so sexy as she stretched out on the seat and let her legs occupy the space where Alex had been moments before.
Gradually, she lifted her body and fumbled around on the floor for her flip flops. “I needed that. Thanks. Oh.” She covered her mouth, her eyes wide, nearly bumping her head on the rearview mirror as she realized what she’d said. “The nap, I mean.”
Ryan kissed her squarely on the forehead. “Come on. Let’s see what’s going on with these Bible-thumping friends of yours.”
“They are not my friends,” she muttered as she let Alex lift her out of the cab.
“We know, mi alma. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”
“Oh, she’s got a rise out of me all right.” With a smirk, Ryan rounded the car to find Lindsey’s narrow gaze focused on him.
“Again, let me remind you that although I’m not quite inside your head as you are with each other, I’m a smart girl.”
“Never doubted it.” Ryan sobered, at least outwardly.
The front door bounded open, and he turned to see Kara and Jessica dashing down the steps.
“Lin, hon. You’re back.” Kara flung herself around Lindsey and manhandled her up the stairs to the porch, Jess on the other side.
“You’d think she just returned from a long illness in the hospital.”
Alex laughed.
Justin and Trevor ambled out, skirting the trio of women as though they were infected with the plague, hands in the air to avoid touching them as they went in the house.
“Hey.” Justin spoke first, glancing at Ryan. “When two or more gather, it’s best to steer clear.”
Trevor reached out to shake first Alex’s hand and then Ryan’s. “Trust what he says. It’s the truth. There must be a reason we only know of ménages with two men and one woman. No way in the world could one man, wolf or otherwise, handle two such creatures.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Ryan let his gaze land on the door to the house. “What’s Jessica’s story? Does she—?”
“She’s very private. Fun, outgoing, intelligent, but private.” Trevor looked pointedly at both Ryan and Alex, his eyes wide, pupils lifted with his chin tucked. “Neither Justin nor I have really spoken to her much. We’ve mostly only been around her in passing. She sort of seems to avoid us. Like she doesn’t want to confront us, or something. She and Kara and Lindsey are very close friends. I assume one of these days she’ll relax around us and we’ll get to know her better. Could be that she’s just uncomfortable with our living arrangement. Whatever the reason, her body language and lack of eye contact make it pe
rfectly clear she isn’t ready or willing to discuss herself.”
“Imagine that.” Alejandro’s sarcasm caused everyone to smile.
Ryan raised an eyebrow and continued, “So what do we know about these religious people? Did anyone find out anything new?”
Justin started, “We went by the apartment. Sure enough, a car matching the description Jess gave was out front, but they sped away when we approached. Tried to do some research on the church, but there isn’t much info to be found. Seems rather secretive. Attending isn’t possible either. They don’t allow outsiders just at random. Weird.”
Alex paced in front of Ryan, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t like it. What the hell do they want? Ay Dios.” His voice rose in pitch as he grew more frustrated.
“Wish we had more info than that, but right now, we just don’t.” Trevor looked as worried as everyone else. “Jess wants to go home though, so I think we’re going to have to let her and hope these guys are innocuous even if they’re annoying.”
Ryan’s gut clenched. “Lindsey’s going to want to go with her.”
“She can’t. No way.” Alejandro shook his head.
“What do you want to do about it?” It wasn’t as though Ryan could shake a magic wand and make her see reason.
When three women appeared on the stairs, hands on hips, Ryan took a deep breath.
Lindsey spoke first. “Jess and I are going back to the apartment.” She held her head high and bit her lower lip after she spoke, belying the fact she knew this wasn’t going to go over well with two aggressive wolves. Well, four.
“Joder.”
Ryan held up a hand to keep Alex from speaking out loud. His ire was over the top, emotion radiating from his thoughts to Ryan’s. “We’ll take you. We’ll discuss it further there.”
He turned to Alex, hoping the look on his face would keep the man’s mouth shut. “It’s just a trip to their place. Doesn’t mean anything yet. Maybe if we go along for the easy parts, she’ll bend a little when it comes down to something more serious. She can’t stand for us to boss her around, tell her what she can and can’t do.”
Alex breathed in and out of his nose, as loud as possible. His lips were pursed.
Lindsey scooted between them, heading for Ryan’s truck, Jessica on her heels, not saying a word to anyone.
Once they were inside, squished in the tight back seat, Kara spoke. “Just let them check it out, please.” She pleaded with all four men, glancing at each of them in turn. “If you demand they can’t go home, you’ll regret it. Believe me.” She was serious.
“She’s right.” Ryan headed for the driver’s side, head hung. He knew Alex did the same on the passenger side.
No one spoke during the drive. At least not out loud. Alex never stopped huffing, puffing, and complaining into Ryan’s mind the entire ride. He was worried.
Ryan couldn’t blame him. He felt every bit as uncomfortable as Alex.
When they arrived at Lindsey’s place, Ryan motioned for everyone to stay seated and held out his hand. She damn well better give up the keys and let him check the apartment out first or he’d probably embarrass himself in front of Jessica.
His expression was clear enough. In short order, the key was in his hand, his contrite mate biting her bottom lip in the back of the car as he walked away. If anything happened outside, Alex could handle it.
The door wasn’t tampered with, and when he opened it nothing seemed amiss. What did you expect? A break in? Jeez, calm down. Ryan’s shoulders relaxed as he wandered around inside. He wouldn’t know if anything was out of place. He’d never been there. But it wasn’t ransacked. At least not the front area. The bedroom that had to be Lindsey’s looked like a hurricane. He smiled. Their mate was a slob.
When he headed back to the front door to give the all clear, he found the others all standing at the entrance.
He glanced at Alex.
“Did you think I was going to tie them up and gag them in the back of your truck?”
Ryan stepped back and let them in.
“You two have to stop this.” Lindsey gripped her hips with both hands, her face ablaze. “This is my home. I will not allow some crazies to terrorize me in it.”
“Nor will we,” Ryan agreed. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Well you can’t stay.”
When no one spoke, her jaw dropped. “You didn’t honestly believe you were going to sleep here did you? I’m fine. I’ll call you in the morning.”
Jessica tiptoed from the room and disappeared down the hall.
Ryan spoke through a tight jaw. “It’s not even noon, Lin.”
“And I’ve been gone for several days. I have stuff to do. Please give me a little space.”
Alex paced again, his obvious method of coping. “How about we order lunch. Some pizza? We’ll stay out of your way. Hang out in the living room. Watch some TV. Let you regroup a while.” He ran a casual hand over his hair again. To no avail. The long locks just fell back where they’d been.
Did Lindsey find that sexy? Ryan wished he could get inside her mind and read her thoughts already. It’d be so much easier.
Taking a stance, Ryan sat on the couch and pulled his cell from his pocket. A quick Google of the area provided him with the phone number of three close Italian restaurants. “Which place do you want me to order from? Jess,” he shouted without waiting for a response. He tipped his head to the side as though it would help his voice travel down the hall. “What do you like on your pizza?”
“Pepperoni, sausage, anything really. I’m easy.”
“Fine,” Lindsey pouted. “Get whatever you want. I’ve got a bedroom that has met with disaster and needs my attention.” She turned back on her way out and glared at Ryan. “But you already figured that out, didn’t you?”
Chapter 13
The afternoon was long and tense, but in the end, Alex was relieved they’d come.
He nearly jumped when the doorbell rang. Both men froze.
Lindsey and Jessica padded down the hall silent as mice, eyes wide.
Lindsey peeked out a side window, pulling the curtain back only an inch. She turned and mouthed, “It’s them.” She held up three fingers.
Alex pointed down the hall, glaring at her, demanding silently to let him handle this.
When the women disappeared, at least from sight—he knew they’d not gone far—he opened the door about six inches, his left foot blocking it from being flung open any farther.
“Can I help you?”
“Hello, sir. Yes. We’re hoping to have a word with Lindsey Walters.” The tall slender man dressed a bit like a Catholic priest spoke. His hands were clasped in front of him. The Roman collar around his neck looked too small and threatened to choke him. His clothes were all black and his thinning hair was too long, one side flipped across the top in a vain effort to keep others from knowing he was balding. Why did people do such stupid things? Alex would have laughed out loud under normal circumstances, the guy was so comical. Except this wasn’t funny.
“She’s unavailable right now. May I ask what this is about?”
“She’s a member of our church congregation. We haven’t seen her in a while. We like to check up on our flock when they are absent.” His smug look made Alex want to slap him. He gripped the door frame so tight, his knuckles began to hurt.
“Did she not leave your church about four years ago? How long do you continue to stalk old members exactly?” Alejandro narrowed his gaze, hoping to intimidate the man and the two lambs alongside him.
The slender gentleman gasped and grabbed the white collar at his throat, probably so he could breathe. “We don’t stalk anyone. I assure you, sir. But we are particularly worried when one of our family is lost.”
Alex cleared his throat and spoke slow and clear, not mincing words. “Lindsey is not lost. She has made it perfectly clear she is no longer interested in attending your services. Let’s make this the last visit to her apartment, what do you sa
y?”
The man shook his head. “We really must speak to Lindsey directly. We’ll wait.”
Wait? What the fuck is the matter with these people? Can’t they take a hint?
“Look, cabrón.” Alejandro grabbed the edge of the door to avoid punching the guy in the face. “I said she doesn’t want to see you again. Do you understand English? She. Is. Done. With. Your. Type. Of. Religion. Asshole.”
The man’s mouth fell open, but he didn’t back down. “If it’s all the same to you, we’ll still wait.” The jerk actually turned to face the street and stood unmoving on the front step, his sheep beside him.
Frustrated, Alex slammed the door and turned to face Ryan. “Hijo de puta, that guy is pissing me off. Ideas?”
Lindsey meandered into the living room. “How about I just talk to them? Maybe that’ll work.”
“No.” Both Alex and Ryan shouted at the same time.
“Fuck no.” Alex shook his head.
“I’ve talked to them before. Maybe they just want to make sure I’m okay, or whatever.”
“Not a chance.” Alex leaned against the door. “Something’s not right. They were too … calm.” What was it? He couldn’t put his finger on it.
Lindsey glanced out the small space between the window and the curtain. “They’re still there. How long do you want to wait? If I tell them to go, maybe they’ll go and we’ll be done with this insanity.”
“What do you think?” Alex glared at Lindsey, his thoughts projecting to Ryan.
“I don’t like it, but she has a point. We’re right here. What could go wrong?”
“Let me know when you work out my problems without including me … once again, boys.” She cocked one hip to the side and glared at them.
“This is crazy and I don’t like it.”
“I’ll go out with her, pretend to be her boyfriend.”
“Pretend?” Alex chuckled out loud and then sobered when Lindsey shot daggers his way.
Ryan turned to her. “I’ll go out with you. Put on a good show of being your boyfriend.”
Lindsey's Wolves Page 17
