She couldn’t be that lucky, could she?
Jack’s breathing went ragged and his thighs tensed.
Roxie’s heart pounded frantically as lust thickened in her belly. She wanted Jack desperately. Her body hummed with need, with heat. The musky scent of his sex excited her. She went down on him all the way, sucking his manhood to the base as she fondled his sac.
Roxie was too impatient to mess around with pretty seduction. She was a born and bred werewolf—and she wasn’t shy, damn it. She gave her gorgeous alpha a down and dirty blow job, lubing his cock with her tongue as she went down on him again and again. He pumped into her mouth, his cock banging against the back of her throat, but she took him, took him all.
When he grabbed her hair, and growled … she let go and stood up.
He moaned in protest. His chest heaving, his cock thick and hard and glistening from her saliva. She could smell how much he wanted her, nearly taste it if she lapped at the air.
She’d rather lap at him.
Roxie got out of her clothes as fast as she could. He watched her with half-lidded eyes, his hand rubbing his shaft as she removed shoes, pants, shirt, and underwear.
Then she crawled onto his lap, and he helped guide his swollen member into her pussy. For a moment, she simply sat there and enjoyed the feel of his penetration as he stretched her, as he filled her.
Jack cupped her breasts, brushing the hard peaks with his thumbs. He sucked one into his mouth, licking it rapidly with his tongue.
Pleasure sparked through her.
“Oh, yeah,” she moaned. “I like that. Mmm.”
He switched nipples, sucking one and twisting the other. Fire raced from her breasts to her very core. Awash in sensations, she seemed to lose the ability to breathe, to think.
“Take me,” she whispered.
Jack didn’t need a second invitation. He cupped her buttocks, his gaze on hers as he thrust upward. Her knees dug into the mattress as she rode him.
He fell backwards onto the bed and she adjusted her position. He held onto her hips, thrusting, and she moved, too, taking him deep, hard, fast.
Oh, God! Her bliss erupted and shot her into the stars. Vaguely, she felt Jack’s deep thrust, his groan intertwining with her low cries, and then he came, too.
She floated back to earth and found herself in the embrace of an alpha. Whoa.
“You’re amazing,” murmured Jack.
“Yeah, and you’re crazy.” She snuggled against him. “Will Grant mind?”
“Mind what?”
“That we had sex without him.”
Jack laughed. “Not as long as he gets a turn with you.” He kissed her forehead. “When we mate, we’ll both take you. You’ll be our wife then, body, soul, mind.”
“I can’t believe I’m even considering this.” She sighed. “I mean, how do you guys share a mate? I think I’m getting the better end of the deal.”
Jack smoothed her hair. “Three is a very powerful number in the Earth Pack. It’s sacred. It goes way back to when the various packs broke away from the main tribe. We’ve had a triad leading our pack since … well, forever. It’s the natural order. I promise, Roxie, Grant and I won’t fight over you. We’re already a team. We’ve been co-alphas of the Earth Pack for a couple of years—and we were raised together.”
“Brothers?” She turned onto her side and looked at him, her eyes wide.
“Yes … and no. My fathers and my mother were the triad alphas. Grant was a foundling. He was four, I think, when someone dropped him off at the gates of the pack’s farm. We don’t know anything about his past—who abandoned him or why. I had just turned six years old when my parents adopted him. So, we were raised as brothers, and we were raised to be the alphas.”
“What happened to your parents—to the three of them?”
“Oh. They retired. They bought a private island in the Caribbean and live happily together. Mom says they spend most of their days naked on the beach.” He shuddered. “She loves telling me and Grant about things we don’t want to know about our parents.”
Roxie laughed. “She sounds awesome.”
“She’ll like you,” said Jack.
“Maybe.” Roxie still wasn’t convinced mating the Earth Pack alphas was the right thing to do—for any of them. She liked Jack. They had serious sparks together. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Grant, but she suspected bedding him would be spectacular. And having the two of them together? God, a werewolf could melt from that kind of ecstasy.
Whew.
Bing. Bing. Bing.
“What’s that?” asked Roxie.
“Phone,” said Jack. He rolled into a sitting position, got up, and went to the bathroom. He returned with his cell. “It’s Grant,” he said, placing the device to his ear. “Hey, dude.”
Roxie watched Jack’s face go from relaxed to furious. “Where is he?” He listened for a few seconds. “Fine. We’ll see you in ten minutes.”
Her heart started to pound. She sat up; her worried gaze snagged Jack’s. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“That was Sara from the Blood Pack. They’ve got Grant.” Jack tossed the phone onto the night stand and stomped to the closet. “I told him to gather information, not to engage with them. He’s so goddamned stubborn.”
Roxie got dressed, matching Jack’s speed. Oh, crap. Crap! She knew something like this was going to happen. Nothing she touched—no one she cared about—could escape the taint of her Blood Pack heritage.
“We need to go.” Jack grabbed her hand, and they hurried to the suite’s door. She tugged on him, and he paused. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he stared at her.
She swallowed the sudden knot in her throat. “What are we doing?” she asked. “What’s the plan?”
“Oh, it’s pretty fucking simple.” He pulled her close, keeping her wrist snared in his hand. “The only way to make sure Grant stays alive is to give them … you.”
4
“I SHOULD’VE NEVER gotten you and Grant involved,” said Roxie. “This sucks.”
“Don’t worry,” reassured Jack as they hurried down the hotel hallway. “We’ll figure out a way to get Grant back.”
“We already have a way,” said Roxie. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait for an elevator. The sleek metal doors slid open immediately. They hustled inside and Jack punched the Lobby button. The elevator began to descend.
“I’m not handing over you,” said Jack. “You’re our mate.”
“Not yet,” said Roxie. “Look, the Blood Pack doesn’t mess around. My mom’s a little nutballs, especially after Cody bailed. The only way to make sure Grant stays safe is if I go home and take my medicine.”
“No.”
The doors opened and they strode into the lobby. Like most Las Vegas resorts, the lobby was pure luxury, from the marble floors, to the skyscraper ceilings to the over-the-top décor. The only difference between the Drift Resort and other hotel-casinos was that most of the staff and the guests were shifters.
“Where do we meet them?” asked Roxie.
“The parking lot.” The lot was attached to the hotel on the side, and like most Vegas parking lots, it was a huge tower of concrete and blacktop.
Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed stones. Dread clutched at her. She would never forgive herself if Grant got hurt because of her. She knew better than to bring in outsiders, even if they were wolf shifters, to Blood Pack business.
“Grant!” Jack’s surprised voice jolted Roxie out of her thoughts. She looked around the crowded lobby and within seconds saw Grant striding toward them—without Sara or any Blood Pack members in tow. He had cuts and bruises on his face, but they were fading fast, thanks to the healing prowess of shifters. Still, it looked like he’d taken quite the beating.
He joined them, his expression pure pissed-off.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Fuckers caught me, that’s what.”
“I told you not to engage with them,” said Jack. T
he relief in his voice belied the censure of his words.
“They cornered me.”
“Wait a minute. How did they know you were with me?” asked Roxie.
“They saw Jack with you. Made inquiries. Figured out he was Earth Pack co-alpha, and then it was just a matter of tracking one of us down.” He clenched his jaw. “They held me hostage in some piece of shit car.”
She reached out and grabbed his arm. “I’m glad you got away. How many of them did you kill?”
He snorted. “I didn’t. They let me go. That Sara bitch got a call from someone named Rick. The next thing I know, I’m being tossed on my ass, and they take off. Not even a kiss good-bye.”
“Rick is Sara’s brother,” said Roxie. She frowned. “He’s my mother’s beta—a lawyer here in Las Vegas. He’s a bigger asshole than Sara, trust me.” Something big was happening if Rick was involved. He didn’t like getting his hands dirty—that was Sara’s job. Dragging the alpha’s daughter back for the Suitor’s Brawl had taken a backseat to a bigger priority. Roxie had no clue what that could be—and frankly, she couldn’t care less.
“They’ll be back for me,” said Roxie. “So, look. Thanks for your help. I appreciate the offer to mate with me, but obviously that’s more trouble than you want.”
“Don’t tell us what we want,” said Grant. He leaned forward and sniffed. His eyes widened. “You two had sex. Without me.”
Roxie blushed to the roots of her hair. Oh, hell.
“We can’t all three have sex unless she mates with us,” said Jack. “You know how the triad works.”
Grant lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I’d like to test my own compatibility with Roxie.”
“Did you two miss the part where I’m trying to gracefully exit this situation? My mom isn’t going to let this go, no matter what’s gotten her attention now. Believe me. My best bet is to leave Vegas and stay off the radar.”
“Until when?” demanded Jack.
“Until it’s safe,” said Roxie, which, of course, would be never. Mom was stubborn and she no doubt viewed Roxie’s running away as a personal insult. She didn’t like anything, or anyone, who made her look weak, and her own daughter ditching the Suitor’s Brawl was a punch in the face.
She really should’ve gotten further away than Las Vegas. But she didn’t have friends, and she hadn’t traveled much—only going to California with her brother Derek a handful of times. They had fun going to the beach, but honestly, she would never be a surfer girl. She liked the land far more than she did the ocean. Damn. She wished Derek were here. He always knew what to say, how to make her feel better. She missed him so much.
“Roxie.” Jack took her hand. “If you don’t want to mate with us, then okay. But don’t think that you going off on your own will somehow protect us. We want you. We’ll be your safety. Your shelter. The Earth Pack chooses peaceful measures whenever possible, but we’re not weak. We can hold our own—even with the Blood Pack.”
Grant took her other hand. “You’re gorgeous. Smart. Strong. We know you’re not some delicate flower who can’t take care of herself. Jack’s right. We want you.”
“Because the very dead Matilda the Matchmaker says so?” she asked.
“Because our hearts tell us so,” said Jack.
“And other important body parts,” added Grant. He offered her a wolfish grin.
Roxie couldn’t help but laugh. How could she not consider the possibility of marrying these two men? She’d gone to college because she loved learning and wanted to make a difference in her pack. But she couldn’t help anyone who didn’t want it. And Mom and the Blood Pack were fine with violent chaos. Right now, Roxie only knew what she didn’t want: life in the Blood Pack. She would be able to contribute something of value to the Earth Pack. With Jack and Grant, she would create connections in a true community and actually experience soul-deep peace. And Roxie wanted that.
She wanted them.
Were Jack and Grant truly the solution to her problem? It wasn’t like she could change her mind later. What little she knew about the Earth Pack included that the alphas mated for life, and the triad could only be broken by death.
“Roxie?” Jack’s gentle tone drew her away from her jumbled thoughts and swirling doubts. She looked at him then at Grant.
They both squeezed her hands, their expressions mirroring the same hope.
She nodded. “I’ll be your mate.” She blew out a breath. “What we do now?”
Grant smiled. “We go on a date.”
“YOU’RE SAFE,” SAID Lara. “The brawl’s been called off.”
Roxie clutched at the cell phone and paced Jack’s room. She glanced at the closed doors. She’d asked for privacy to make this call. Lara was the only friend she had left in the Blood Pack. At sixteen, Lara survived the fire that killed her parents and younger sister. Even with the superior genetics of shifters, Lara was unable to completely heal. Her scarred flesh made her undesirable as a mate, but she had other gifts that made her valuable to Pack leadership. She was probably the only female werewolf in Blood Pack history immune from its barbarism.
“Do you know why?” asked Roxie.
“No,” said Lara. “I don’t think your mom’s been sober since Cody disappeared.” She inhaled a deep breath. “He’s dead.”
“What?” Roxie had no love for her stepfather, but his death still came as a shock. She pressed a trembling hand against her belly. “How did he die?”
“I don’t know. My guess is badly.”
“How’s Mom?” Roxie asked the question out of rote. She knew well the folly of trying to care about her mother. Karen exploited all weaknesses, including emotional ones, to get what she wanted. She was the most ruthless person Roxie had ever known—second only to Crawl, who learned too well the brutish tactics honed by Mom.
“Your mother is a complete mess, so Rick is dealing with the situation. Crawl is either drinking or fighting. There will be a change in leadership soon. I don’t know who—that part’s fuzzy.”
Roxie went cold. Lara’s psychic powers were unparalleled. After the fire, she displayed the first vestiges of what became her major strength. It was as if her brain had increased her mental capacity to make up for her injured body. Lara was never wrong. The only frustrating part for her was that she couldn’t use her gift to find her family’s killer. When it came to Lara—her past, her present, and her future—she could discern nothing.
Mom probably wasn’t in any state to fight off a takeover. Shit. If Roxie’s brother became the new leader, the Blood Pack would be worse off than it was now. If the beta Rick tried to take the reigns, there would be a blood bath. He was an ambitious asshole, and he’d been eyeing the alpha position for a while. Her Mom knew that, of course, because Karen assumed everyone wanted to be alpha. She’d kept Rick on a leash, mainly because as a lawyer, he could protect pack members in the human court system.
Roxie was glad she’d left home. And Derek was out of there, too, although not necessarily safer. That left the last Blood Pack member she cared about—Lara.
“You should take a vacation,” said Roxie.
“I’m okay,” said Lara. “I’ll be protected because I’m valuable. Even Crawl won’t hurt me.”
Lara scared Crawl, but only Lara knew why and she wouldn’t say. Crawl wasn’t so thickheaded that he didn’t understand Lara’s usefulness. All the same, he always gave her wide berth. Lara refused to leave the Blood Pack for a number of reasons. The foremost one was that she’d spent the last six years trying to find out who set the fire that killed her family. But though she didn’t exactly have acceptance in the Blood Pack, it was more than she felt she’d get in other Packs or in the human world. Lara’s outside scars were nowhere near as bad as those on her insides.
“No one will look for you,” said Lara. “They’re too busy. You know how it is around here during a regime change.”
“What if you could go somewhere safe?” asked Roxie. She was sure Jack and Grant would give Lara protecti
on. “I have connections with the Earth Pack now. You could live on their farm in Oregon.”
“I can’t leave,” her friend said. “I’m getting closer to answers, Roxie. When I have them, I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Roxie blew out a breath. She knew how stubborn her friend could be. Lara was smart, and despite her reputation as physically inferior, she was one of the strongest people Roxie knew. No, Lara wasn’t weak, but she let the Blood Pack think so. Werewolves didn’t mess with her so long as she didn’t pose a threat to their own position in the pack.
“Stay safe,” said Roxie.
“You, too,” said Lara. “Congratulations, by the way.”
“For what?”
Lara laughed. “Hel-lo. Remember me, the psychic? You’re getting married.”
“Don’t tell anyone!”
“Cross my heart. But you better tell Derek, or he’ll come back from Afghanistan just to kick your ass.”
“I’ll tell him, but it’s not easy to get in touch with him.”
“He’ll resurface soon,” said Lara. “Take care, Roxie. We’ll see each other again.”
Roxie said good-bye and ended the call.
She sat on the bed, and tried to gather her thoughts. The brawl was off. Technically, she no longer needed the protection of the Earth Pack alphas. She still wanted them, though. She still wanted a place to belong and people to love.
Without the possibility of her mother’s wrath and the potential of the goon squad returning, she was left with a question: Did she want to mate with Jack and Grant?
Yes.
Yes, she did.
5
WHEN HE AND ROXIE arrived at the supper club called Gaze, Grant studied the nondescript building. It was square, white, and windowless. The only indication that they were at the right place was the blue-neon sign above the double doors. He hoped he’d made a decent first date choice, although calling this a first date bordered on ridiculous. Roxie belong to him and Jack. He knew it the same way Jack knew it.
The Pack Rules Boxed Set: The Complete Series of Wolf, Bear, and Dragon Shifter Romances Page 23
