“You three are the best and most wonderful gift I could have ever been blessed with but together you all are a bit overwhelming.” She looked around to each of them, noticing that each looked a bit more relaxed than they had a few minutes ago. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time and it’s going to take some getting used to, knowing I have the three of you to rely on.
“So you’ll be back?”
“Try and keep me away.” She tugged on his hair and he bent his head, accepting her kiss. His lips were so soft compared to the scruffy skin on his jaw. It would be easy to rely on them to take care of this problem, but it was her problem. Nouel was back to smiling when she lifted her head and he hugged her tightly when she curled up into him. Clara didn’t want to bring anything negative to this union, especially at the beginning. She could never allow her past to hurt any of her men and Eddie had already proven he would go to great lengths to do exactly that.
“I love you, Clarabear,” he whispered against her lips, making her smile. Her heart fluttered. It was one thing to feel how much he cared for her, but another for him to put them into words. It made it that much more real for her.
She cupped her hand around his ear like she was telling him a secret. “I love you, too, you big sexy moose,” she whispered. Nouel tickled her then, making her shriek and giggle as she wiggled in his lap.
“Why don’t I drop you off over there? I have to go and pick up a couple things from town and it’s on the way.” Georges’s offer was going to put another crimp into her plans. All she needed was an hour or two to fix everything.
“Because I am perfectly capable of driving in this weather.” Clara pressed one more kiss against Nouel’s lips before gaining her feet. She walked over to Georges and poked him in the chest. “I’m going to take your truck while you fix whatever you did to my car.”
Georges had the grace to flush slightly and he wrapped his hand around hers. “You’re right. I did. You were going to leave and I couldn’t come up with any better idea once the storm passed. I’m sorry.”
“I know and to be honest I didn’t really want to leave. I might hate cars but I couldn’t help but learn how they work. Also, Tara told me what you two did when she came to town and it only confirmed my suspicions.”
“You’re taking this very well.” Georges wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. “I’m not entirely certain if Tara has forgiven us for our part in that lie.”
Clara shrugged as she leaned against his chest. “I think that being pregnant and in love with two men has made her a bit more forgiving than she might have otherwise been. Good thing I’m in love with you three or you’d all be in heaps of trouble right now.”
Georges dipped his head and claimed her lips, a sweet, gentle kiss that reflected back all the love she felt for him. She could feel the heat between them burning bright and her clit tingled with anticipation. “I love you, too.”
“I like hearing that.” Georges pressed another quick kiss against her lips.
A large hand slid around her torso and she felt herself being tugged out of Georges’s grasp. “I love you as well, you know.” Luc appeared to be watching every small nuance about her facial expression, not that she had any plans on hiding her love for them.
“And I love you, Luc. The three of you have burst into my life when I was at my darkest and pulled me out into the light.”
“That light was always inside of your bodacious body. We saw it the moment we met you, but you needed to see it for yourself.” He claimed her mouth with a passion that had her toes curling as his strong tongue stroked along hers. Her pussy clenched and she wondered if maybe she could come simply from being kissed. He lifted his head too soon for her to find out but she could see the promise of future kisses in his smile. The possible threat against them made her even more determined to end this today. I want my happily ever after, dammit.
Georges was stepping into a pair of blue coveralls and Nouel had started to clean up the dishes. There was no glaring or butting of heads between them and she felt another of her worries melt away.
“Okay, I’ll stop by the grocery store and pick something up for dinner tonight.” The three of them stopped what they were doing and looked at her like she’d just spoken a second language. “Did I cross and boundary or say something wrong?”
“Not at all.” Luc pressed a kiss to her cheek and smacked her lightly on the ass. “Can you pick up some more quinoa?”
“I have an awesome recipe for an apple and raisin quinoa salad I can make.” She looked over at Georges. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Sweetheart, I would love some help with the cooking around here.” Georges lifted a set of keys from the hook next to the back door. “Why don’t you take my jeep?”
She plucked the keys from his fingers and gave each of them a kiss before heading out the door. Nouel opened his mouth to say something but she pressed a quick kiss against his lips. “I’ll check and see if they have any avocados at the store.”
He smiled down at her. “You really are incredible.”
“Hold that thought. I might screw up yet.” Please don’t let this be the last time I see them.
Nouel cupped her jaw with his hand. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Of course.” Even that sounded a little too cheery to Clara’s ears. I’d better get out of here before I start blabbing the truth. She already didn’t like the feeling she had from holding back the truth of what she was planning. But, they’d already lost one brother because of a woman and she wasn’t going to allow anything to come between them, even her. Three against one, she knew Eddie wouldn’t stand a chance, but if he had friends with him, or if he’d brought some Guardians…she’d have to deal with Alpha Roberts in that case.
“Be careful, okay? There’s a lot of black ice under the snow that fell last night.”
“Stop worrying. I’ve driven over worse on a snowmobile at home.” She patted his chest. “I promise to keep it in four-wheel drive and I’ll be back before you know it.”
Ten minutes later, she pulled over to the side of the road and turned her phone on. There were multiple voice messages, all from her father but not one single text message from Eddie. That more than anything convinced her that he was here.
I know you’re here. I want to talk to you. She hit send and less than a minute later he responded.
I was so afraid you had been hurt yesterday. Where do you want to meet? I’ll take you home.
“Yeah, you’re so going to get an earful, you asshole,” she muttered to herself. Meet me by the deer blind we were near yesterday.
She’d first thought that Eddie had fired the arrow at Luc but she woke up this morning and remembered her bear had scented two males in the forest. Clara wasn’t worried about the hunter being there again. Hopefully, he’d been frightened enough to never walk into a forest alone again, let alone to hunt. Clara put the jeep in gear and back to the place where her entire life had changed. She wasn’t the same person who left New Brunswick with dreams of running away and hiding. Running was for cowards and thanks to three of the most wonderful men in the universe she’d found her inner strength. My inner bodaciousness. Bold and outrageous, that was who she was now and she would fight for what she loved.
It didn’t take long to get back to the trail they’d been on yesterday. She’d almost driven past it except that she smelled the distinct aroma of Eddie’s diesel truck. The hair on the back of her neck rose up as her inner bear rustled dangerously. She didn’t fear that part of her anymore and took a deep breath, accepting the anxiousness her animal was feeling. I should have told the guys and had them come with me. It was too late now and she was going to have to take ownership of her actions, no matter how angry they got at her. She knew they might yell and rant but she’d never have to worry about them raising a hand to her. Unless they were spanking her ass, but that carried an emotion completely opposite to fear.
The forest was eerily quiet when she got ou
t of the jeep. Thankfully Eddie didn’t play any games and was leaning against the grill of his SUV when she pulled up. As soon as she got out of the jeep, he headed toward her, his arms open wide.
“Clara, you look wonderful!”
Clara stepped back and looked around uncertain if she was about to be ambushed by a host of people working for this man. Eddie paused, a slight frown puckering his brow. He looked around as well and scented the air. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you bring anyone with you?”
“No, of course not.” He grinned at her. “Come give me a hug, baby.”
Clara itched to slap the smug grin off his face. Instead she crossed her arms and glared at him. “No. You, Eddie Joseph McGill, are a complete and total douchebag.” She pointed her finger at him. White-hot anger poured through her as she started to realize everything he almost destroyed. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you myself for shooting at one of my men.”
“You found three men and not one of them is brave enough to face me. Instead they send you to fight their battles?” He looked around the forest as if they were going to walk out and challenge him.
She wasn’t about to fall for that one. “That’s tough talk for someone who skulks around hiding. How long have you been here, Eddie?” The idea that he might have been peeking in their windows made her sick. She’d never felt that kind of attraction to him but she’d thought he was her friend.
“They aren’t the men for you, Clara. You need someone stronger than that, someone who would force you to stand back while they took care of you.”
She backed away a couple steps as he got closer. Facing him on her own didn’t seem like the greatest of ideas now. In fact, it ranked up with one of her dumber ideas. Like denying my own nature almost to the point of self-destruction?
“And you think you’re that person.” She laughed in his face. “You’re a coward who hides in the shadows and stabs those you call friends in the back.”
Eddie grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the jeep and toward his truck. “You don’t understand anything, Clara. Fucksakes, I’ve been trying to protect your ass for the last two years and now you accuse me of betraying you?”
Clara blinked in shock at his outburst. She’d never seen Eddie lose his cool, let alone start swearing. She dug her heels into the snow and yanked her arm out of his grip. “I heard you, asshole. I heard you planning with my father! Did you think I was stupid and I didn’t know he told you to fuck me into submission?”
Eddie reached out for her arm again but she lifted it away from him, stepping back from him. But, when he reached for her one more time, a large crash sounded in the trees around them.
A huge moose stepped out from the brush, panting as he snorted at them both. His head dipped and he waved the wide bony antlers dangerously. A subtle note of spice and petrol danced over her senses and she knew in that instant she was in deep trouble. Luc.
“I swear to you, Luc, this isn’t what it looks like.” The moose pawed the ground and charged a few steps forward toward Eddie. Clara was beyond angry at the man who’d pretended to be her friend but she wasn’t about to let him be killed. Not when she hadn’t had a chance to speak her mind completely. She stepped in front of Luc, blocking his path to Eddie. If he knew that Eddie was the one who shot me…“No more, Luc. No more fighting or killing. You don’t want to do this.”
“Yes, he does.” Nouel came out from the trees, pulling his shirt down over his chest. Georges was right behind him with a bundle of clothes in his hand. “You touch her and we tear you apart.”
Clara turned in time to see Eddie lowering his hand. He must have been reaching out to grab her. “So it looks like you three have a backbone after all. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have taken her away from you.”
“You could have tried but I wouldn’t have gone anywhere with you.” Clara knew she was in deep shit. Her fate was written all over the faces of her men. They were hurt and disappointed in her but she had a good reason. Luc hadn’t shifted back to his human form and that concerned her. She walked up to his large head and he lifted his face as she got closer. He might want to fight but she knew she had nothing to fear from him no matter what form he was in. She could see the emotion in his big black eyes and it tore at her heart. “Don’t look at me like that. I know your history, you told me what happened. I didn’t want any threats against any of you. I didn’t want Georges to witness another fight and another death.”
“You think he’s stronger than the three of us?” Nouel sounded slightly insulted and it didn’t help that Eddie puffed up like an egotistical blow-up doll.
“No, I didn’t know if he was alone, or had brought Guardians or friends with him. He’s not the type to face anyone unless he has the advantage.” She knew it wasn’t right to pop his arrogance so viciously but right now he deserved it.
“That’s not fair, Clara.”
“Yes, it is. You were my friend, nothing more, but you plotted against me behind my back.”
Eddie rubbed his forehead as he shook his head. “I know you’re not going to believe me right now, but I swear I never had any intention of taking you against your wishes.”
She felt a shimmer in the air behind her and knew that Luc had shifted back to his human form. A moment later his large hand slipped around her waist, pulling her back against his large body. Nouel and Georges closed in on either side of her, protecting her from any threats.
“We don’t agree with the Guardian’s purity ideas and Clara has told us enough for me not to believe that you would have listened to her if she said no.” Luc’s thumb gently stroked the top of her stomach as Nouel and Georges slipped her hands in their grasp. It was a silent announcement of unity that made her breath catch in her throat.
“I’m gay.” Eddie looked down at the ground as he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
Clara was stunned into silence. Homosexuality was only marginally acceptable in their culture and only if the person was at least bisexual, but Eddie hadn’t used that term.
“I never knew.”
“Of course not. You and I both know what would have happened. I was as desperate to leave as you were. Being male has offered me a bit more freedoms than you but you know as well as I do that if word got out, I’d have to claim a woman or be ostracized. You and I desperately wanted to get out. I didn’t think for a moment that you would still be here when I got here. I planned on contacting your father to tell him that I was following you.”
“Then why the act? Why were you being such an arrogant asshole just now? You could have told me the truth and asked me what I wanted…like a civilized being?”
“I didn’t know your men, Clara. I still don’t. I wasn’t sure if you were caught in a similar situation as home or if you really had a choice.” Eddie looked past her and at Luc, Georges, and Nouel. “I’ll admit that I might have been a bit over the top with my actions and comments but I was trying to goad your tempers and see your reaction. I apologise for any insult I might have caused.”
“And if you had never found me?” she asked.
Eddie’s gaze dropped back down her as he shrugged. “Then I’d have never gone back either.”
“You don’t have to go back.” It was Luc who spoke. Clara looked up at the faces of each of her men and they all seemed to be taking this very well. Surprisingly well in fact.
“I don’t plan to now. I couldn’t leave until I was sure that Clara would be safe and taken care of.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked back down at the ground.
Guilt ate at Clara. Thinking back over the year the signs were all there but she’d let her hatred and self-loathing blind her to the truth around her. Her egocentric attitude had almost caused her bear to go mad as she thought to deny her Mates. She owed them all so much for not giving up on her.
Clara let go of her men’s hands and smiled at each of them before closing the distance between her and Eddie. She wrapped her arms around him and
gave him a hug. “I’m sorry for all the terrible thoughts I had of you. At first, I thought you had shot at Luc and I.”
“What! You thought that and then came out here on your own?” Clara didn’t look back at Nouel for his outburst. She knew that she was due to be bitched out by them for being reckless.
“I would never hurt a hair on your head. You might not have believed it for a while but I have always been your friend. I had to make sure that you were safe.” She felt a shudder dance along his back under her hands. “When that hunter shot you and Luc, I thought my heart would stop. I was too far away to do anything. By the time I gotten closer, you’d shifted and I was afraid my presence would only agitate you further.”
He lifted his face from her shoulder and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You will forever be my friend, Eddie. Forgive me for doubting you?”
“Of course. I would have thought the same thing in your shoes.” He moved closer and whispered in her ear. “And if I had three gorgeous men like you, I’d do anything to protect them, too.”
Clara laughed and bussed him on the cheek. She felt like a large weight had lifted off her shoulders, not only that there was no additional threat to her men but also because she’d been wrong about Eddie. The idea that the one person she’d confided in and trusted had betrayed her was the most painful aspect of leaving.
“Come to dinner tonight, Georges is an amazing cook.”
“If it is all right with the four of you, I’d really appreciate that. I’ve been eating at burger joints for days and I’m dying for a home-cooked meal.” Eddie pressed a quick kiss to Clara’s forehead before stepping away from her. “I’ll buy the steaks.”
“I guess we better invite a few more people over then and balance out the carnivores.” Georges stretched out his hand and Eddie shook it. “We’re vegetarians.”
“You’re kidding me?” Eddie shook his head. “Clara, only you would be able to find three large men who eat like you do.”
Nouel pulled his phone from his back pocket and tapped the screen with his thumb. “I’ll call the McNamaras. That way you and River can have that chat you were planning.” He winked at her, making Clara laugh.
Chasing Peace, Love & Fur [3xtasy Lake 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15
