Authors: Lynnette Bernard
“I’m the what?” Laurie nearly squeaked. “I can’t be an alpha, and I’m certainly no queen.”
Jace stepped forward and gently reached out to take her into his arms. Jackson stepped up behind her and plastered his body against her back.
“Baby, you are,” Jace told her softly. “Don’t think you aren’t. You have a fierceness in you that shows us you would protect our people, our children, me, or Jackson,” he explained carefully. “It’s the job of the alpha female to keep our pack members focused and our families close. You lead by example, honey. And the love you show our people let them know that they’re important members of our pack.”
“We couldn’t have hoped for a better alpha female,” Jackson told her with complete sincerity, kissing her neck gently before licking his mating mark, making her shiver with desire.
“Alexander and Butler will go with you and Julia,” Jace told her with finality.
Laurie looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, Alpha,” she told him quietly, not missing the way his eyes flashed golden at her words.
“I’m not playing, Laurie,” he warned her seriously, taking her neck in his large hand and pulling her toward him so he could impress upon her the need they had to keep her safe.
Jackson reached around Laurie and rested his hand on Jace’s shoulder, needing to calm his alpha just as much as he needed to calm himself. Just thinking about Laurie getting hurt or taken from them caused his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.
“Please, baby,” Jackson whispered against the side of her face. “We need you to be safe.”
Laurie closed her eyes, her knees nearly buckling at the wave of emotion the men sent to her through their bond. Their caring and concern surrounded her.
“Okay,” she told them, sighing, finally giving in. “But they are
not
going into the store we want to go into. They can wait outside the entrance.”
“What store do you want to go into?” Jackson asked, smiling down at her.
“Never mind,” Laurie told him, pulling away from them both and walking over to the office door. She opened it quickly then turned back to face them both and smiled. “But when I get back and wear what I want to buy, you’ll get kiss number four.” She turned and walked out of the office, quietly closing the door behind her.
“Hell,” Jace whispered.
“I’m hard again,” Jackson groaned.
Chapter 15
“Laurie, that color is perfect for you,” Julia told her, smiling at the sensuality of the lilac colored negligee that she was trying on. “It’s beautiful.”
Laurie smiled at her reflection in the dressing room mirror. She looked up to see both Julia and her friend Nikki looking at her with big smiles on their faces.
“I can’t wait to meet these two hotties that have you so in love,” Nikki told her, laughing with pure joy at the happiness of her good friend.
“Who said I’m in love?” Laurie turned to face her best friend, stunned that she had called her on her feelings so quickly.
“Oh, come on!” Nikki snorted. “Look who you’re talking to, honey. I’ve known you forever. You’ve never been so happy. Certainly not with Pigface.”
Laurie couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from her. Nikki had been her best friend since fifth grade. Nikki knew everything about her marriage and the abuse she had been subjected to. How many times had Nikki physically put herself between Laurie and her ex? More times than she cared to think about. Nikki, above anyone else, knew the depths to which her ex had hurt her physically, emotionally, and verbally.
Despite Nikki’s innocent and fun-loving demeanor, she was a powerhouse. She was fiercely protective of Laurie and her children. Being a nurse, she was often the one to take care of the injuries Laurie had sustained at the hands of her abusive ex. She had also protected Laurie’s babies from the time they were born and was a second mother to them. They loved her to death, as did Laurie.
“Nikki, I never said I loved them,” Laurie protested again halfheartedly.
“Right,” Nikki answered quickly, waving her hand at her friend, dismissing her words. “Honey, you and I both know you would never be intimate with those men without truly caring about them.” She crossed her arms across her chest and stared at her friend. “Go ahead and tell me otherwise.”
“Tell me, too,” Julia chimed in, taking the exact same stance.
Laurie looked at her two friends and knew she wouldn’t be able to deny her feelings to either woman. Both looked ready to take her on. She couldn’t help but smile at the united front that the pair made. Talk about an odd couple. Julia looked soft and sweet, her soft brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, her golden brown eyes showing caring and concern as she looked at Laurie. She wore a soft pink maternity dress that hugged her form just enough to accent her belly, swollen with the new life that she carried. She looked like the most contented and perfect mother. Looking at her brought tears to Laurie’s eyes.
Nikki, on the other hand, was dressed in tight, black jeans and a red baby-doll shirt, accentuating her full curves. Her short black hair was styled in layers to brush her shoulders, and her blue eyes flashed with defiance as she dared Laurie to try and lie to her. Despite her tough attitude, Laurie knew the sensitivity that Nikki possessed. She had never met a kinder or more caring person. She also knew the deep loneliness Nikki felt. She worked so many hours at the hospital, she had no time to date. But Laurie knew that was just an excuse for Nikki. She knew her friend was afraid to put herself out there and meet anyone new. Her own bad experience with an ex-husband had made her determined not to give any other man control over her again. Nikki had kept her pain to herself, but Laurie knew it was deep and had hurt her beyond the ability to recover from it.
“Okay, I give,” Laurie admitted. “You’re right. I
do
care about them very much.”
“Aha!” Nikki shouted.
“Quiet!” Laurie hissed. “Don’t go advertising it to the world.”
Nikki leaned in and whispered so that only Laurie and Julia could hear her. “Sorry, honey. I’m happy for you. You deserve to be loved.”
Laurie smiled. “You do, too, Nikki,” she said finally.
Nikki’s face registered a brief moment of sadness before she turned to face Julia. “Let’s get the same negligee in another color. And we need to pick out some toys, too.” She reached out and took Laurie by the shoulders and turned her to face the mirror. “Take that off so we can pay for it. Do you want anything else?”
“Whatever you think, Nikki,” Laurie told her honestly. “I really wouldn’t know what else to pick. It’s been so long since I’ve bought anything pretty for myself.”
Nikki’s eyes softened as she looked at her dear friend. She, more than anyone else, knew exactly how Laurie had lived for the past fifteen years, scraping by to support herself and her children. In all those years, Laurie had refused any monetary help from Nikki. She was a proud woman who had been determined to make it on her own. Nikki had only been allowed to splurge on gifts, clothes, and food for the children but had never been allowed to help Laurie.
Nikki also knew how Laurie had been abused during her marriage and the toll it had taken on her self-esteem. Even though Laurie’s marriage had only lasted five years, it had nearly destroyed her. And the fact that her ex-husband continued to torment her and threaten her made it so that Laurie was never allowed to feel safe or confident in herself. Nikki was determined to make sure that Laurie had some happiness and confidence now that she had found not one but two men who seemed to have taken her within their hearts.
“Leave it to me,” Nikki told her, winking. “I’m sure your men will thank me later.”
Laurie blushed and looked away, unable to say a word. She closed the dressing room door, looking at her reflection once again, surprised at the sight before her. She couldn’t prevent the happiness that filled her. She actually felt beautiful, and she knew that it was because of the two men who waited for her back at the ranch.
Baby, you look beautiful.
Jace’s husky voice caressed her mind, sending shockwaves of passion through her body.
Laurie jumped at the sound of his voice. “How can you see me?” she spoke softly out loud, her heart pounding at the thought of Jace seeing her dressed so scantily.
We can see your reflection in the mirror through your thoughts, sweetheart,
Jackson’s voice explained, sending his own caress through their link.
Laurie slapped her hands over her eyes to hide herself from their link. “Please don’t look,” she begged. “I wanted to surprise you later.”
Baby, every moment you’re with us surprises us.
Jace’s voice was filled with emotion.
We still can’t believe that we were lucky enough to find you.
Laurie pulled her hands from her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror, not seeing her own reflection but the image of her men holding her between them, kissing her temples and hugging her tightly. She closed her eyes and pictured herself kissing each of them, knowing she was successful in projecting her thoughts when she heard both men groan in her head.
“Tell me how to stop you from seeing what I’m seeing. I don’t want you to see any more of my secrets,” she whispered.
Picture yourself in that white light of protection again, baby
. Jackson’s calm voice talked her through it. Laurie did as he instructed.
That’s good, sweetheart. Now just open that small window when you want us to see things.
But please don’t cut us off completely. We need to feel your presence so we can be sure you’re safe and happy.
Jace’s strong voice touched her heart.
Opening the small window she pictured within the white light that surrounded her, Laurie projected every bit of caring she had for them. She could feel their happiness and contentment immediately, and she vowed to always show them just how much they meant to her.
Turning toward the bench seat in the dressing room, she removed the negligee and reached for her shirt, putting it on quickly. She opened the door just a crack and handed the soft creation to Julia and smiled as she saw Julia walk over to Nikki and hand it to her before leaning forward and whispering to her.
Laurie smiled at the way the two women were already bonding and was thankful that her friends liked each other. Picking up her jeans and pulling them on quickly, she pulled the door open and saw that Nikki was at the counter paying for the items while Julia stood patiently near the dressing-room door.
“Julia, may I talk to you for a minute?”
Julia smiled and walked into the cubicle to sit on the padded bench that lined the far side of the changing room. She sighed contentedly as she leaned back and relaxed against the wall. “Sure,” she told her, laughing. “As long as I can rest my feet for a few minutes.” She rubbed her belly, closing her eyes at the feeling of her baby moving beneath her hand.
“Do you ever worry that you can’t give enough attention to both of your mates?” Laurie asked worriedly.
Julia opened her eyes and turned to face Laurie with a gentleness that calmed her immediately. “You don’t have to worry about that, Laurie,” she told her honestly. “I can see that you love both Jace and Jackson. They can see it, too. Even more important, they can feel it through the bond that you share. They’re not going to be keeping score that you’re spending too much time with one of them and not the other. Triad mates fall into a comfortable relationship almost immediately. Affection is given freely and often to each other. It’s natural and not something you have to try to accomplish. It just is.”
“Really?” Laurie asked, her worry evident in her tone. “I don’t want to hurt either one of them by showing affection to the other.”
“That won’t happen, Laurie,” Julia assured her. “You should know that there are several packs in the area that have triad relationships. Our pack has had triad mates for as long as we have been in existence. What we feel for each member of our triad is valued by all of the members. We find joy in the love we have for each other. And when we’re lucky enough to find ourselves expecting a child, that love increases to include that new life.”