by Jane Jamison
“Ow.” The pain in her ankle spread up her leg. “Double ow.”
“She’s hurt.” Trent slid his arms behind her legs and back then lifted her and hugged her to his chest. He strode to the gate, where the operator told him to take her to the office and have her checked out.
Trent nodded and headed down the long hallway to the back of the building. Steve and the others followed them into the manager’s office. A long table was pushed against one wall amid the usual office furniture. Setting her on top of the table, Trent ran his hands along her leg. She cringed when he made it to her ankle.
“I don’t think it’s broken or even strained. You probably just twisted it a little.”
“Are you a doctor?” Celia winced as he gently probed her ankle. Her ankle hurt, but not as much as it had a few moments earlier. And not as much as her pride did.
“If you’d listened to everyone, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
Did she hear a smidgen of remorse in Aiden’s angry tone?
But she didn’t care. Instead she braced herself then faced Aiden. “You know what? I don’t really give a damn what you think.” Or at least she didn’t now. If only she’d thought that way before she’d sat on the damn bull.
“Aiden, come on. You goaded her into doing it.” Celia handed her a shot glass. “Here. Drink this. It’ll help with the pain.”
Celia made a face at the sharp smell of tequila then downed the fiery liquid. She coughed and closed her eyes as the alcohol burned its way to her stomach. When she opened them again, she looked straight into the irritated face of Aiden. “Can I get another shot, Sandy?”
“We figured one might not be enough.”
She took the second drink but didn’t drink it yet, preferring to wait until the fire from the first one had died out. “I’m okay, guys. Just give me a few minutes to regroup.”
“Maybe next time you’ll listen to me. Someone needs to look after you, since you can’t seem to keep from getting your ass busted.”
The remorse she’d thought she’d heard was gone. Damn him!
She closed her eyes, heard the protests the others slung at Aiden, then opened her eyes again. This time she was prepared to see his angry expression. “Are you trying to order me around again? Because if you are, you know what you’re going to get.”
Aiden’s hard glare raked over her. “Let me guess. Another foolhardy stunt like you pulled tonight?”
She pulled her lips back into a half snarl, half smile. “This.” She tossed the tequila at him, hitting him right in the eyes.
Sandy gasped, and the other men stepped away from Aiden. Celia waited, her airways cut off as she held her breath for his reaction. What did they expect him to do? Go suicidal maniac and throttle her?
Instead, Aiden wiped his face, shot her a wicked smile, then turned on his heel, and walked out of the office. At once, Celia had the overwhelming sensation that she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Chapter Four
“Hurry up, Aiden. She’ll be here in a minute.” Trent ignored the scowl on his friend’s face and finished setting the table.
“Why the hell did you invite her after last night?”
Trent wondered when Aiden would admit the truth. Celia was their mate. He and Steve had no doubt, but Aiden was having a hard time getting past the incident at the bar. As future mates, the physical attraction between them was obvious, but once they opened their mouths, everything went haywire.
Some werewolves thought their intended mate would show up and everything would fall into place. It happened often enough, but not every time. Just because a werewolf had an instant connection to his mate didn’t mean their personalities wouldn’t clash. Werewolves, simply by their nature, had strong personalities. He hid a smile. Maybe if Celia didn’t have such a wild personality of her own, she and Aiden could admit what was happening between them. He and Steve would just have to give them time to work it out. Still, it couldn’t hurt to push them a little in the right direction.
He walked over and slapped Aiden on the arm. “You know why I invited her. She’s our mate, and we need to make up for you acting like a jerk last night. You deserved that drink in your face whether you’ll admit it or not.”
The fact that Aiden didn’t argue with him proved he was right. “Why’d you act like that, anyway? Shit, man, you treated her like some dimwit bimbo you could order around. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing. She just grates on my last nerve.”
“Well, get over it. She’s our mate, and your surliness is making this harder than it needs to be. We’ve waited a long time for her, and we’re not going to let you scare her away.” Although he doubted anything could frighten Celia. She had grit and determination. Traits he admired.
Aiden and Trent pivoted toward the front door a second before the doorbell rang. They’d sensed their mate’s presence as she’d approached the house, and while Trent adopted a big grin to greet her as he hurried to the door, Aiden held back.
Trent swung the solid wood door wide. “Hey, good lookin’, come on in.”
Her beauty struck Trent in the midsection, just as it had done when he’d first seen her at the bar last night. Sure, all mates were beautiful in the eyes of their werewolf lovers, but Celia had an extra something special other women lacked. He couldn’t have named what that special thing was, but he could feel its pull down to his bones. No matter how much Aiden grumbled, he had to have felt it, too.
Celia swayed into the house. The short, navy skirt clung to her shapely legs, and the sparkling silver top accentuated her womanly curves. She wasn’t a stick figure, and Trent was damn glad of it. He couldn’t wait to see what was under her clothes. Her brown eyes sparkled, seducing him with one look.
Trent took her arm and escorted her into the living room. “Aiden, how about fixing our guest a drink?”
Aiden, his face an expressionless mask, tilted his head in greeting. “What’ll it be, Celia? I’ll get you any drink you want except”—his lips curved upward— “a tequila shot.”
Celia’s face shaded with the rosy glow of embarrassment. “I guess I deserve that, and I have to say I’m ashamed of my actions. I should apologize for tossing my drink in your face.”
Trent shot Aiden a telling look, encouraging him to accept her apology. But Celia blew his effort out of the water with her next words.
“Aiden, I am sorry. I’m sorry for wasting a good shot of tequila.”
Trent glanced from her to his friend, ready to jump in between them if necessary. Instead of blowing up, Aiden widened his grin and turned toward the wet bar. “No problem. But we’d better stick to white wine tonight. It’s easier to get out of my shirts.”
“I take it you’ve had experience getting drinks tossed in your face?”
Trent yanked Celia around and headed for the adjoining dining room. “Okay, you two. We’re officially calling a truce. Is anyone hungry? I’m starving.”
What was wrong with them? Couldn’t they get along for five minutes? Without warning, an image of his mother arguing with one of the two werewolves she’d mated hit him. Although his mother and father often had disagreements that included shouting and throwing objects, they’d always made up afterwards. Once he was an adult, his mother had even told him that she sometimes started a fight just so they’d have fantastic makeup sex. She’d grinned at him and said, “We fight hard, and we make up even harder.” Was that going to be Aiden’s relationship with their new mate?
“You’re right.” She called out to Aiden, “Truce?”
Aiden joined them, a wild glint in his eyes, and Trent held his breath for his friend’s answer. “Truce.”
“Good. So, Celia, what do you think?”
Trent waited for her to look around the dining room. He hoped it would meet with her approval. But if it didn’t, she could change anything she wanted after they were mated.
Their two-story home was filled with sturdy furniture, but the dining furniture stood
out from the rest. Emma, the Carr brothers’ mate, had helped them select the set several months earlier. Since then, they’d never used it, preferring to wait until their mate could share the table with them. Eating in the breakfast nook was good enough for them and their busy schedule with the ranch. But with Celia in the room, the final touch to their home was complete.
He watched her run her hands along the finely crafted and intricately carved table. She paused to admire the black and gold china as well as the crystal wineglasses—all helpful additions chosen for them by Emma—then turned to gaze at the crystal chandelier. Emma had gone a bit overboard with the chandelier with its myriad of twinkling lights, but if it put a glow in Celia’s eyes, it was well worth its exorbitant cost.
“This is amazing.” She reached out and touched one of the crystal drops hanging from one of the many arms extending out from the base. “I mean, all of your house is great, and I’m assuming the bedrooms upstairs are just as nice, but this room is so…” She frowned, searching for the correct word. “…refined.”
“What’d ya think our home would look like? The inside of a barn?”
Trent clamped his jaws together and growled at Aiden, who carried a wine bottle. Aiden edged around Celia as though she might bite him.
So much for a truce. Trent pulled out a chair for Celia. He didn’t know much about manners, but at least he knew how to seat a lady at a table. “Sit, Aiden, and keep her company while I round up Steve.”
Aiden poured wine into their two glasses then sat directly across from her and raised his arm in a toast. “To Tequila Celia. May she never run out of drinks to toss in my face.”
Groaning, Trent pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. “Steve, get your ass out there. We may have to tag team these two into behaving.”
Steve, his attention focused on the digital readout of the microwave, laughed. “Right now I think that would be an easier job than trying to get this damn microwave to work. How did Emma say to cook this?”
“Beats the hell out of me. You were supposed to handle the food. I did all the talking to convince Celia to come tonight. Maybe we should’ve let Emma help like she offered. At least then we’d have one person who knows how to cook.”
Steve blew out a breath, punched another couple of buttons, and was rewarded when the microwave lit up and started cooking. “I’m a rancher, not a chef. Hell, the only thing I can make is cereal.”
“You don’t make cereal, you lug. You just pour it into a bowl and add milk. That’s not cooking.”
“Whatever, man. It was your stupid idea to invite her to dinner. We should’ve taken her to the steak house in Shatland. Or better yet, just taken her.” Steve slathered butter on the tops of the rolls then set them on a platter.
“Don’t you need to heat those first?”
Steve shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Damned if I know.”
Aiden’s growl drifted into the kitchen, making both Trent and Steve stare at the door. “Shit, Steve, you’d better get in there.”
“Naw. Maybe they need to get it out of their systems. It’s not like they aren’t attracted to one another. You can see it in their eyes whenever they look at each other.”
“Yeah, you can. Right before they start fighting.” Trent started toward the door when it swung open, almost knocking him in the face.
“Oh!” Celia gaped at Trent. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in like that, but I had to get away from that—”
“From Aiden. We heard.” Trent pulled her into the kitchen.
The electric charge he got every time he touched her ripped through him again. But this time it was even stronger than before. Her eyes widened, signaling to him that she’d had the same sensation. Going on instincts alone, he pulled her to him and crushed his mouth to hers.
She flattened her palms against his chest and struggled for a moment before settling down. Moaning, she opened her mouth to the kiss as he nibbled on her bottom lip, soft and full. He wrapped his arms around her, dragging her even closer, and thrust his tongue inside her mouth, in a blatant imitation of what he’d do with his cock. Slanting his mouth over hers, he nibbled and sucked, holding back as much as he could to give her time to start to burn as he already did. He should’ve been gentler, should’ve tried to hold back, but his inner wolf was tired of waiting.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He could feel it in the way she gripped him and in the way she pushed her crotch against the growing tent in his jeans. She gave him her tongue and let him savor all her flavors.
“Trent, I want—”
“I know what you want.”
She made a soft, sexy sound, an invitation for him to give her what she wanted and more. She flicked her tongue along the seam of his mouth and, with that simple gesture, ripped away all his willpower.
Sliding his hands down her back, he gripped her buttocks and felt the strip of thong material under the satiny softness of her skirt. He resisted the urge to tear away her skirt and thong in one swift motion. For now.
She put her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet. Neither one of them stopped kissing. He dragged on her bottom lip as she moaned, flowing her warm breath into his mouth. The sound of her heels falling off her feet and hitting the tiled floor was forgotten as he set her on top of the kitchen table. He pushed the salt and pepper shakers to the floor along with a basket of fruit then shoved his knee between her legs, pushing her skirt up to the tops of her thighs. Her pussy’s heat warmed him through his jeans, and he almost came as her juices flowed.
Breaking the kiss, he searched her face for any sign that she wanted him to stop and found none. Growling, he lifted her upper torso and pulled the shiny top off her. His almost-erect cock grew another inch at the sight of her braless breasts.
She was perfect. Her breasts just the right size. Pale skin brought out the brown of her areolas and accentuated her rib cage as she panted. He swallowed, stunned by how intoxicating she was.
Celia went to cover her breasts, but Trent took her wrists in one hand and pulled her arms above her head. “No. Don’t cover yourself. I want to see every beautiful inch.” She kept them there even after he turned her loose.
She moaned and arched her back, bringing her breasts closer to him. He circled his tongue around one of the pink peaks and felt his cock jerk with need. She shivered, her breath faster now as he slid his tongue between her breasts, lashing it over first one nipple then the other.
He almost roared in anger as she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed. “Don’t make me stop. Not now. I’m not sure I can.” His voice was guttural, need darkening the tone.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this. I barely know you. I don’t think I can.”
His gaze met hers. “Yes, you can. You know this is the way we’re supposed to be even if you don’t want to admit it.”
“But we don’t know each other.”
“I know what I need to know. I know my body recognizes you as the woman I’ve waited for all my life. I know you’re kind and funny and loyal from the way you act around Sandy. I know you’ve dreamed about coming back to Forever from the moment you left with your other friend.”
“Daniella.”
“Whatever.” He grinned then channeled his fingers through her hair to hold her head. “I know I want you more than I can ever put into words, and I know you want me just as much.” He glanced to the side to see Steve inching toward them. “And I know you want Steve, too. And Aiden.”
“You and Steve. Yes.” She darted her gaze to Steve then back to him. “But not Aiden.”
“Bullshit.” Steve moved closer. “You’re for all three of us.”
Trent almost shifted to bite off Steve’s hand that covered her breast, but he couldn’t blame his friend. She was too sexy not to touch.
“Take her skirt off.”
At least Steve could talk. Trent doubted he could find his voice again with the image of her pussy filling his mind. Ins
tead, he nodded, again checking if she was all right with the idea. He couldn’t stand the thought of not having her, but he’d never force himself on her. No matter how much his cock throbbed with need. He reached for the zipper on the side of her skirt and undid it as she lifted her hips to help him get it off. Her skirt followed her blouse to the floor.
“Damn.”
Again all Trent could do was nod. The black thong she wore barely covered her mons, and he was dying to see what was under the silky material. Clenching his teeth to keep from shifting, he dove down to the thin strip running from her pussy to her hip and tore it apart with his teeth. He tugged the remaining bit of her thong off then shook his head and threw it to the floor.
He couldn’t wait a second longer. He had to taste her. His cock pushed against his zipper, and he hurriedly undid his belt buckle and jeans to let them puddle at his ankles. Yanking a chair under him, he sat and pulled her closer.
“Oh, God.” Her words slurred into sexy sounds of desire.
She lifted her head the moment he pushed his face against her already-wet pussy. Her scent struck him, driving his need into overdrive. Pulling her folds apart, he found her clit and brought his mouth to it. She threw back her head in a silent cry and lay back as Steve, wearing only his open shirt, took her breasts in his hands then bent to lash his tongue over her tit. She moaned and tugged on Steve’s hair to keep him at her breast.
Trent spread her wide and took a good long look at her wet, pink pussy. He nibbled at her sensitive clit then swiped his tongue over the smooth skin to thrust into her pussy. Her cream tasted sweeter than he’d imagined, and he sucked, drinking in her flavor.
Here was the woman he’d fantasized about. She was his whole world, and he’d spend the rest of his life learning everything about her, every inch of her body. Pushing a hand under her buttocks, he found the tight muscles of her anus and sank a finger in as far as he could. She jerked, but he held her to him, putting her legs over his shoulders.
The hot aroma from her pussy had him breathing in deeply. Pushing a finger into her pussy, he attacked her clit again, tugging, pulling, making her squirm. He added another finger and her answer came in soft sounds of pleasure. Harder and harder he thrust his fingers, front and back, into her. More and more he drank her cream. His cock throbbed, and he vowed to make her come as many times as he could before he sank his cock inside her. If he didn’t get her off first, he might not last long enough to get her done. He wanted her satisfied and wanting to go again for Steve and, hopefully, Aiden. Making love to her on his own would be wonderful, but he liked sharing with his friends. Only then would the connection be cemented for life.
