The morning after wasn't as awkward as expected. Patricia awoke beside only one male body, probably because her other lover had wandered off to the kitchen to make some breakfast, or so her twitching nose indicated as the scent of sizzling bacon roused her taste buds and set her tummy rumbling. At her side slumbered Stu, one arm thrown over her waist, the warm solid presence of his body pressing along her length. It almost made her blush to remember what they'd done the night before. I made love to two men at once. And it was love. She might have hesitated last night to let them place the mating mark, but there was no denying it in the light of day. Without meaning to, and despite the obstacles she feared, these two men had come to mean so much to her. They'd brought light and love back into her life. They'd also managed to eradicate the guilt that came with her acceptance of happiness. She could almost feel Ryker's approval cocooning her from wherever his spirit resi
Whistling and on top the world, Stu had exited the cabin, feeling like the world's luckiest wolf. As he trudged around the cabin in fluffy snow, he couldn't help but grin in remembrance of the previous night. What a night. Patricia might not have claimed him or Ricky as mates yet, but she was close. So close. As a matter of fact, given the way she'd eyed them both over breakfast-like juicy steaks she couldn't wait to take a bite from-Stu had to wonder if by lunchtime today he wouldn't be a mated man. Hot damn, he hoped so. Forget the single life. He was ready to start something new. Leave the den he'd grown up in and share his future with the hottest cougar around. Heck, he'd even come to enjoy the company of the mangy cat he'd have to share her with. His computer programming business could be done from anywhere. So moving out wouldn't prove a chore, although, if her apartment was small, they might have to get a bigger- His wolf growled inside his head, and he p
The cavalry arrived in time for the cleanup. As to how Stu's family knew to come, the killers had finally made a mistake. It seemed the human female's brother, some kind of tech guru, made some electronic inquiries that triggered an internal alarm with the shifter council. The shifter council turned around and notified the Grayson family. When they couldn't reach Stu on his cellphone-because his cell service didn't work in the mountains-they descended en masse to the rescue. And chaos ensued. Stunned by the fact not one but both of her lovers were grievously injured, Patricia went into a bit of shock. That lasted only as long as it took for Stu's mother to slap her out of it. Literally. "Pull yourself together. These boys are too tough to die." Patricia hoped so. As to the dead bodies and the crime scene? It took a few days to sort the mess the dead humans caused. The bodies were disposed of in a deep ravine, where the wild animals would take care of them
Sunday night dinner was more crowded and chaotic than ever, especially now that his brothers had someone new to pick on. Not that Ricky let them get away with it. The panther knew how to give as good as he got and fit in quite well with the Graysons. Despite his statement that he'd not let Ma fuss over him, Ricky never did manage to use the word no around her. The bafflement on his face when she managed to get him to wear the hand-knitted wool sweater-blue and green with a big majestic moose on the chest-was priceless. Stu naturally got a picture and couldn't wait to hear his bellow of rage when he saw the posters he had done up with them for the youth center Ricky managed. The kids had helped in designing them, so like it or not, Ricky would have to smile and bear it. Oh, the fireworks it would create at home. Home. Now there was a word he'd had to redefine. No longer did he live with his parents. Nope. After discussing it at length, they'd vetoed suburbia and upgraded Pat
Kill it! The scorpion scuttled across his path, the pointed stinger poised in a high arch over its segmented back. Nasty buggers. They could cause quite the sting. At camp, if you spotted one, you immediately killed it. Squish! Boot stomped hard. Yes, it would make a crunchy wet noise. And, yes, some of the veterans liked to mock the fresh faces by faking little screams when a newbie had to make his first kill. The expression on their faces? Priceless. The critter scampered close, but this one time, Derrick let the scorpion live. Why not? Out here in the middle of who the fuck cared, it wasn't likely he'd run into it again. Besides, lifting his foot would waste some precious energy. He needed every ounce he could get. The sun beat down on his helmet, and the sweat pooled, rolling in thick rivulets to soak the collar of his shirt. The harness straps dug into his shoulders, yet he dared not shed those supplies-a canteen, knife, and other crap deemed necessary for surviv
The surprise in his eyes was quickly masked, but at least she managed to catch his attention. Good, because she needed to set the tone early. But Derrick wasn't done posturing for dominance. Janine's newest patient leaned back in his wheelchair and folded his hands over his flat stomach as he perused her, his glance taking in her appearance from her hair, simply brushed and pinned back with a barrette, her clothing-ill fitting due to a mishap with her luggage-and her face bare of makeup. He stared at it all, especially where a button threatened to pop at the top of the straining blouse. If he thought to intimidate, he'd have to do better. She took stock right back. A big man, his shoulders stretched wide while his arms were corded with muscles. Despite his infirmity, Derrick kept himself fit. According to the verbal summary she'd received, Derrick spent several hours a day working out, keeping his upper body in shape. As for his lower body?her gaze went to the legs that onl
"I don't like it," Derrick complained to his surgeon as he lay face down on the table. He'd grown to gruffly respect the older fellow, a doctor who seemed to think if they could remove that last bit of metal in his spine, he might, just might, get some use of his legs back. Or the operation would fail horribly and leave him a human potato head with no movement at all. With that kind of fifty-fifty chance, he hesitated. Life was hard enough now. He couldn't imagine it getting worse. "What's not to like? I saw the new doctor when she was getting set up with her access badge. She's a cute thing. I wonder if she's as fiery as her hair." The growl rumbled without thought on his lips. The doctor misconstrued his agitation. "You don't like her type? Sure, she's a little curvy, but personally, I like a plump lady." So did Derrick, but that wasn't why he growled. He didn't appreciate the fact the doctor noticed her in the first place. If he didn't know better, he'd
Expecting Derrick to duck out on their session meant Janine was ready and waiting for him the next morning. She stood outside of the building he was housed in and kept watch. Sure enough, about a half-hour before their session was set to start, the front doors to the building opened with an electric whine as someone pressed the automated button. Derrick emerged, hands wielding the grips of his wheelchair, pushing himself along at a quick clip, so quick she practically had to trot to keep him in sight. She knew better than to confront him in the open. Besides, she wanted to see where he went. The rehab center grounds housed numerous buildings, most of them for rehabilitation of some sort. While they offered an in-house program for people like Derrick, they also took those who had adapted enough to function in the outside world but still needed a place they could exercise. Derrick bypassed the gym facility nearby and followed the road, never once peering behind. His rou
Nothing ever felt more right than the first time Derrick sank balls deep into Janine. Unless he counted the second time and then the third. Over and over, he claimed her that night, the next day, all that week as she took some time off work for them to explore their new relationship. And yes, they were in a relationship. She's my mate now. And soon, she'd be his wife. He'd already asked for and received permission from Orson and Janine's mother. A conversation that went along the lines of? "I'm going to marry your daughter." "I get to plan the wedding." "I'll have you cremated if you hurt her." Derrick could already tell they'd fit in well with his family. Snap.*Epilogue An exaggerated groan left Derrick as he heaved Janine out of the car. The sound totally deserved a laser-hot glare. "Are you implying something?" No denying she was a little more rotund these days. He pulled her close, not caring that her big belly got in the way. A smile tugged
With Derrick buried in the bosom of his family, Janine slipped away before the tears blurring her gaze were noticed. Derrick had survived the surgery and seemed about to beat the odds. He would recover, which meant it was time for her to go. Even if I love him. And she did love him. Loved him so much that she couldn't be with him. She knew Derrick thought himself in love with her, that she was his mate. Much as she wanted to believe that, she couldn't. He'd fallen for her only because, at the time, he depended on her. Acting as his therapist meant their close involvement brought them together and imbued him with a false sense of intimacy. I think the intimacy came from you letting him touch you. Acts that shouldn't have happened, and yet, she didn't regret. It made leaving so much harder, but she did it now while she could. Now while he had his family and the promise of a bright future ahead of him. Let him get on with his life. Find a woman to settle dow
The hot satisfaction at having brought down the enemy paled before the panicked realization that Derrick couldn't move. Not a single damned muscle. The cold reality sent his wolf into hiding, pulling back from the dead weight of his body and leaving only human flesh. Flesh that felt nothing but the tips of her fingers on his cheeks as she cradled his head. "Derrick. Oh God, why did you do that?" She hugged his head, and if the moment weren't so dire, he might have enjoyed being buried against her plush tits. But all he could think was, This is the last time. The last time he'd smell her or feel her touch because he'd fucked up majorly in skipping the surgery and now paid the price. Since he didn't expect he'd get another chance, he whispered, "I love you," which only caused her to rock and hug tighter. In a voice thick with tears, she retorted, "This better not be one of those goodbye speeches. You're going to be fine. We'll get you in for that surgery, and ever
Doctor's Pet. She read the title in gleaming silver letters on the back of Derrick's chair as he whipped by with a whoop, well ahead of his brothers in their own colorful chariots. When she'd come across some orderlies watching something out the window, she'd not expected to see the Grayson clan gathered out front, clapping and hollering at the participants in the wheelchair races. It wasn't even just Derrick and his brothers playing. They'd gotten several other patients to join in too. Given the speed at which they raced, a fear for their safety made her want to march out that door and tell them to stop, but an old adage came to mind-boys will be boys. And men would do stupid things that resulted in stitches for, as Stu said upon meeting her, "Shits and giggles." The main surgeon for the rehab center came to stand beside her. "Looks like fun," he noted. "Yes. Dangerous, though," she added. "These men have been to hell and back. Do you really want to
The feel of her on his fingers proved exhilarating, but it couldn't compare to her intoxicating taste. A man parched, Derrick lapped at her, savoring her womanly cream and humming with pure male satisfaction at how she clenched and pushed against him, her body craving more of his touch. He couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. Too long he'd craved her. Too long he'd denied the unmistakable truth. Janine is mine. And for this moment at least, he couldn't find the strength to push her away. I'm tired of fighting what I want. Time for a little selfishness. He lapped at her sweet button, feeling it swell at his flicks. He pumped his fingers in and out of the moistness of her sex, loving how she gripped him tight. Her excitement built, reaching a crescendo, and he felt just as coiled as her, poised on the edge. He pistoned his fingers in her as his lips pinched her swollen button. A low cry began to keen from her lips. She smashed a pillow over her face as her body arched
Something woke Janine from a light slumber. She lay in bed, one half of her face squashed against her pillow, listening. Not even the creak of joists shifting broke the heavy silence. Holding her breath a moment longer, she tested the ambiance of the room. Is anyone here? Am I alone? Her senses craned, seeking that sense of vitality that only another person could emit. She sought another presence, a reason for waking, and felt nothing. She exhaled with relief. No bogeyman tonight. For those who might mock her, she had no problem admitting a fear of the dark, especially the particular shade it achieved in the middle of the night. Dark deeds often happened under night's shadow. And sometimes a little girl wakes and opens her eyes to see bloodshot ones staring right at her. The shriek she uttered proved piercing. The scarier thing? Daddy screamed at an even higher pitch. But that had happened a long time ago. Only the one time, but it left an impression. She'
The tingling awareness of her presence faded as Janine moved from the doorway of the game room. He'd known she watched him. Felt her eyes on him the moment she appeared and missed her gaze when she left. It took him gripping the wheels of his chair not to chase after her. Having her out of his line of sight didn't sit well, and not just because of all the people roaming around. Earlier, when they'd first arrived, he'd also hated sending her off into the kitchen with her mother. Then again, it was probably a good thing Red didn't stay because the first thing Derrick tried to do was get her out of his life. "I want a new shrink." On his way to a bar, fetching a drink of something with a fiery kick, Orson paused. "Is there a problem with my daughter?" "No." "Then why the request?" The council member uncorked a decanter and poured some amber liquid into glasses. He handed one to Derrick before taking a seat on the couch. "Do you want her removed because she's
Despite the mishap in locating Derrick-I really thought I'd have to hunt him down and force him-the road trip passed rather peacefully. Despite the sexual tension between them, there was also a genuine like for one another, and when he wasn't barbing her or trying to push Janine away, they could have the most interesting conversations. It passed the long trip. While Derrick started out driving, the highway part of the route being the longest, she took over once they hit an exit. She made sure to give him a pit stop so he could use a washroom, and she said not a word about the fact that he took a few minutes longer than other people to do his business and glared at those who dared to complain outside the locked door. As she took the familiar twists and turns to her parents' house, she couldn't help a touch of anxiousness. How would her stepdad react? With her, Orson was the most lovable teddy bear a girl could ask for, but with anyone he thought threatened her? Poor Jeremy w
Red stalked into his room, swinging the door open in a familiarity that apparently didn't see a need to knock. "Derrick, we need to-Uh. Oh." Her outburst ended on a gasp. Probably because she got more of a glimpse than she expected Splayed on top of covers still drawn tight, one hundred percent naked, and bound-the height of emasculation-he glared. "Were you raised in a barn?" Something his mother used to accuse him of when he lacked manners. His Aunt Joni took great offense at that expression and claimed it was those raised as ci-diots that were the problem with morality nowadays. A shame they feuded for years on end. Aunt Joni's pie was worth the occasional brawl between sisters. Janine's head ducked. He could only imagine the pinkness of her expressive cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't think. I'll come back later when you're not so, um, er, tied up," she stammered. The things she could do to me right now? For a moment, he almost imagined a spark, enough that he said t