Blue Moon Brides: The Complete Series (68 page)

“No killing,” she hollered, just in case Luc had reconsidered his stance on killing Cruz.

The wolf hadn’t moved from the edge of the clearing. Was he expecting an engraved invitation? Was there an Emily Post book for werewolf etiquette? Naturally, Luc ignored her demand and stalked towards the intruder.

“You better have a damned good reason for being here, Jones.”

Luc got right up in the wolf’s face, close enough that his thighs practically slammed into the wolf’s sides. The wolf bared its teeth, growling. Fuck, what was it with men and their testosterone? Out of options, she hurled her coffee mug at the pair. Stupid. She wasn’t done and Luc didn’t like being challenged. The mug fell short by yards, but the crash was satisfying.

“You got a point to make,
shug
?” Luc drawled, not turning around.

“Bring him here, you moron.” Clearly, there was no point in repeating her
no killing
manifesto.

Luc glared at the wolf. “You heard the lady. Shift,” he snapped.

And…Cruz shifted. If she’d been asked, she couldn’t have described how it happened. Just that the wolf’s fur seemed to melt and flow away, revealing bare skin. Lots and lots of very male, very naked skin. Sweet baby Jesus, but Cruz was a spectacular man. She’d tried hard not to imagine what he looked when he shucked his uniform, but now she knew. Six-plus feet of cut Cajun. It was a good day in the bayou.

Luc sighed, like somehow all that yummy nakedness was
her
fault. “Stop staring and get the man some pants.”

She debated reminding him that orders were off-limits until sunset, but Luc looked like he’d been pushed far enough for the morning. She went inside, grabbed a pair of jeans from Luc’s wardrobe, and stalked back out. She threw the pants at Cruz, who caught them one-handed.
Don’t look below the neck.

Nope. So much for her good intentions. The gleam in the man’s eyes said he knew she’d cheated too. But, good Lord, the man was hung. How was she
not
to notice?

“Pants are my limit. I’m not bringing you coffee,” she announced, dropping back into her seat.

“You wan’ explain why you’re out here?” Luc sat down next to her, his thigh crowding hers, his arm curved possessively around her shoulders. If she’d been a tree, she was willing to bet both males would have engaged in a pissing contest.

Cruz ignored Luc entirely as he pulled on the borrowed jeans. “How are you,
boo
?”

“I’m fine.” Really? He’d come out and started World War Three just to ask her how she was feeling? What did he
think
she’d been doing?

“You wan’ to kiss her hello too?”

“Don’ mind if I do.” Cruz strolled over and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Then he leaned against her chair and proceeded to give them both an update on The Breed. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many new details. Gianna’s law firm had received a new death threat on her behalf. Cruz had gotten a man on the inside of the Baton Rouge pack, who was working to identifying the wolf who had called the hit on Gianna. But other than that…he had a whole lot of nothing.

Which begged the question of why he’d come out here.

Luc had apparently come to the same conclusion. “I’ve got a phone.”

“And I felt like seein’ how Gianna was doin’.”

Well, shit. That was blunt. Worse, an unexpected happiness beat through her veins. She
liked
being sandwiched between the two of them, having them both here on the porch with her. The only thing better…would have been if the three of them had just come out from the bedroom together.

“Fuck.” Luc looked between her and Cruz. “If you want him, take him.”

“You mean it?” God. She hoped her face wasn’t lighting up like a kid in a candy shop at the possibility of having both of them with her in bed.

“Your body. Your bed.” She couldn’t tell what Luc was thinking or how he really felt about sharing her body with Cruz. It was a fantasy, she told herself. Not necessarily anything more. If Luc was okay with it…

She looked up at Cruz. “Are you in?”

Chapter Six

Gianna didn’t have to ask him twice. Cruz swung her up into his arms and carried her inside. By the time he set her down on the bed, he realized his mistake. He’d been so focused on convincing Gianna to take a chance on him, that he hadn’t considered the implications of hopping into bed with Luc Breaux. Christ. If fucking another Alpha’s mate was grounds for pack warfare, how about doing the male himself?

“This is about Gianna only,” he said gruffly. “Not you. Not me.”

Luc jerked his head in agreement. “No pack business in the bedroom.”

Cruz considered his next move. Whatever the Breauxs got up to out here in the bayou—and he did
not
want to know—he’d never done something like this before. Agreement or no agreement, he also wasn’t stage managing taking Gianna to bed. He’d touch her. Luc could touch. She’d react. That represented the sum total of his plans.

Gianna pushed up on one arm, the movement sending the fringed thing she wore sliding down her arm. A kind of wrap, he decided, like a robe but made out of a thin, blue gauze with bright pink flowers. Since he could see the skin of her arm through the translucent fabric, he liked it. Of course, he’d like it even better if she were naked and wearing only that. She stared at him, pink cheeked. Desire—or embarrassment? Christ, as much as he liked looking at her, touching would be even better.

“Guys first,” she said. “Strip.”

Luc shrugged and stripped down. He wasn’t wearing much to begin with—jeans and a T-shirt. Hell, Cruz himself had even less since his entire wardrobe at the moment consisted of a pair of borrowed pants. As buttons popped and pants hit the floor, he watched her, gauging her reaction. If she changed her mind, if they frightened her, he didn’t want to push when he should be pulling back. He was betting she hadn’t done this before either, which made him feel better. They could be ménage virgins together.

She certainly didn’t look scared or nervous. When he shucked his jeans, her eyes darkened, her lips parting.
Hello, invitation.
She was gorgeous and he had no idea what he’d done to deserve this invitation. He’d make it good for her. Meeting Luc’s eyes, he read the same determination there.

“Your turn.” He reached for her shorts. She helped him get them off, revealing a lacy yellow thong. She liked her colors.

So did he. He ran a finger down the center of her panties. “Off?”

“Off,” she agreed.

She lifted her butt to help him. Screw getting her shirt off. That was Luc’s problem. Cruz grabbed her hips and pulled her towards the side of the bed. Sinking down on his knees, he pushed her wider with his shoulders and drank in the prettiest sight he’d ever seen. Wet, slick folds. Soft pink flesh. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her mound.

Luc dropped onto the bed, sliding behind her. He cupped her breasts, gently squeezing the tips. She moaned and leaned back into his support. Good enough. Cruz didn’t really get off on watching Luc touch her, not when she was spread out before like a feast. He wanted to eat her up, lick her folds clean of her juices. His first kiss on the soft skin of her thigh was another fucking revelation. She wriggled and shivered, pressing into his touch like she couldn’t get enough.

He kissed his way higher.

Her scent lured him, had him curling his fingers into her hips to hold her mercilessly still for his touch. Higher, planting a kiss on the ticklish crease between her hip and her pussy.

Then…yeah…he was in heaven. He opened her up carefully with his fingers, drinking in her gasp as he kissed her. Savored the sweet taste of her. He’d fantasized about this, but the reality was so much better. This part of her was perfect too.

She liked what he was doing. She might have been shy about asking for two guys together, but once she’d gotten them in bed, she wasn’t holding back. He loved that about her. Once she decided to go for something, she really, really went all in. He rimmed her small entrance with his tongue.

Having her stretched out between him and Luc was surreal. Luc caressed her breasts with his hands, taking her mouth in a long, hot kiss. Cruz brushed against Luc as he kissed Gianna again. Avoiding the other man wasn’t possible. And it wasn’t bad, just…different.

Gianna started making those throaty moans he loved so much as he teased her some more. Licked another lazy figure eight around her clit and down again. Luc had gotten her tank top off at some points and their clothes were scattered across the bedroom floor like the white flag of sweet surrender.

He lifted his head. “You wan’ to switch?”

“Don’t I get a vote?”

Cruz petted her with his fingers while he waited, her silky tissues clinging to him as he penetrated her with a finger.

“If you behave yourself,” Luc said roughly. “Otherwise, we’re in charge,
shug
.”

Sounded like a no to him and he desperately needed to be inside her now, so he climbed up onto the bed, rolled onto his side and pulled her backside up against his dick.

“Impatient?” She moaned again when he penetrated her and he slowed down. Tight and slick, she had the sweetest death grip on him. Oh, yeah. He wasn’t lasting long tonight.

~*~

Gianna sucked in a breath as Cruz stretched her, pushing deep and then deeper still. She wiggled, taking more of him, and he groaned. Luc moved closer, sandwiching her between his body and Cruz’s. This close to them both, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t get away. Cruz’s fingers braceleted her wrists, holding her still when she would have taken him harder, faster. He was in charge here, whether she liked it or not

And, God, he made her like it. Her fantasies about having the two of them in her bed hadn’t included this sense of wicked power. They were here for
her
. Everything they did, they did for her. Cruz withdrew, drove back inside, the delicious sensations making her crazy.

“Luc?”

“Right here,” he snarled. “Don’ forget about me.”

As if she could. Each thrust Cruz made pushed her back against Luc and the massive erection he was sporting. Luc losing control was also better than any fantasy. He dragged a hand down her ass, finding her rear opening. One big finger circled, pressed. The cool shock of lubricant penetrating her was the only warning he gave her. His thumb rubbed against nerve endings, sending electric shocks of pleasure through her.

”I’m takin’ this part of you,” he growled.

She whimpered at the images of him tunneling into her ass, taking her there while Cruz took her from the front.

“Yes,” she whispered.

The blunt tip of him pressing in was equally unforgiving.  He was so damned big and she had nowhere to go. Her body resisted his invasion, trying to push him out.

“Hang onto me,” Cruz rumbled.

Yes.

Inch by inch, Luc pushed inside her ass. She gripped Cruz’s shoulders, digging her nails into the smooth skin as Luc took her. The pleasure-pain was darker and hotter than the wicked bite of the candle on her nipples and clit.

In. Deeper. Harder.

As he thrust in, Cruz pulled back, changing the angle of his penetration to better match Luc’s. Oh, God,
yes
. They slammed into her and she cried out. Once. Twice. She lost herself in the hard dance, running her hands down Cruz’s spine and digging deep into his ass.

“Now,” Luc growled in her ear, reaching between them to find her clit. Cruz’s fingers tangled with his and together they sent her over the edge.

Chapter Seven

Luc drove her back to Baton Rouge to get some more things. Living out of a weekend bag for two weeks wasn’t feasible. When they reached the drive to her house, everything looked the same. She fidgeted the seatbelt, trying to hide her nerves. She’d headed down to Port Leon to buy herself some space from the attentions of The Breed and that was all.

A handful of nights and she wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore.

Cruz, Landry and Dre pulled in behind them, crowded into Cruz’s truck. Dear God, what did they think could happen? When she reached for the door, Luc stopped her.

“You need to wait a minute,
shug
. Let me go in first.” He held out his hand for her keys.

“I have a security service.” If the alarm had been triggered, she would have received a message and local police would have been called out. When he didn’t move, just waited her out, she fished for her keys in her bag and slapped them in his palm.

“You don’ go in until I’ve checked the place out.” He got out of the truck and went over to Cruz. The truck’s window cut off their exchange, but Luc did plenty of talking. Cruz? Not so much.

Eventually, Cruz got out and moved towards her. He wasn’t in uniform, but he had deadly intent all over his face as he discreetly palmed a gun. Planting his back against her door—effectively trapping her inside the truck’s cab unless she decided to go for the scramble and the driver-side door—he nodded to Luc.

“Go. I got her.”

The babysitting didn’t sit well, but she wouldn’t do the stupid thing and insist on blazing inside her house if Luc believed there was a possible threat. After seeing The Breed in action, caution seemed prudent. Still, she rolled the window down, not wanting the barrier between her and Cruz.

When she took a deep breath, she could smell him. Heat and male and a clean, pine scent. His cologne? She’d have pegged him for a soap and water kind of a guy, but he smelled good. Last night, she’d explored every inch of him with her hands and her tongue. Had taken him deep inside her body. Somehow, now, he seemed further away than a few inches.

“Sorry,” she said awkwardly, not entirely sure what she was apologizing for.

He turned his head briefly. Had she thought he was an easy male? Because there was nothing laid back or casual about the heat burning in his eyes.

“There’s nothin’ to be sorry about.” She got the feeling that was a blanket statement, like he was setting out the rules. “I wan’ you safe,
boo
.”

“I still think this is overkill.”

“You know what they say.” His gaze moved over the front of her house, assessing the bushes and sides like he expected a full frontal assault. “Better safe than sorry. I’ve had more than a few dealings with The Breed.”

“Tell me.” In her legal capacity, she’d had more than few encounters with gang bangers and their victims.

He exhaled roughly, fingers flexing on his thighs. “A girl like you, you don’ need to know about that.”

“A girl like me?” Fuck it. She leaned out the window, resting her hands on the rolled-down pane. Letting her fingers brush the back of his T-shirt and trail over his skin. “What does that mean?”

This was where he pulled the usual male crap about how she was sweet or innocent or otherwise unsullied and pure. The point where he tried to put her on some chilly pedestal and talk about how her perfection made her too good for life’s more unpleasant facts. Bullshit.

“It means you’re a decent woman,” he said roughly. “Doing the right thing matters to you and you’ll take a hit to make a point. The Breed? They don’ give a fuck about anything about themselves and makin’ cash. They run drugs and guns, but that’s not the worst of it.”

“I know all that,” she said tightly. “I’ve prosecuted men for those crimes—and I’ve defended them when they’ve been accused of shit they didn’t do. I’ve got the details up here in my head.”

“You ever see how they treat women?” A neighbor’s cat stalked out of the holly bush by the front door. Cruz’s eyes tracked the animal like it could be packing.  “You ever drop by one of their bars or their clubs?”

“Obviously not,” she said tightly.

“At best, they treat women like a commodity. You don’ wan’ to know some of the sick bets these guys make. They’d tear you apart and not because you’re an attorney on their hit list or because hurting you would hurt Luc and me. Just because they could and because that’s what they do with female.”

“Got it.” She appreciated his concern and she truly had no desire to pay The Breed a visit, but some things needed to be clear between them. “Do you know where I grew up?”

He leaned back into her touch. “From the sounds of you? Somewhere west coast.”

“You’re good. You want to get more specific?”

He shrugged. “You got a point to make, go ahead and make it. Luc, he’s goin’ to be back soon.”

“I grew up in a Sacramento trailer park, me, my parents and a double-wide. Plenty of our neighbors were doing the best they could, but some of us were undereducated and under-ambitious. Join a gang, take a shortcut. Bad luck, hard times, you name it and it happened there. Hitting and yelling were stock in trade.”

His reaction was immediate. “You get hit?”

“It doesn’t matter now. I’m just saying that I’ve seen plenty. I’m not little Miss Sweet and Innocent. You don’t have to protect me.”

He shook his head. “It’s not about
havin’
to do anything. It’s about wantin’ to do it. The difference is Grand Canyon-sized,
boo
.”

Some of her childhood neighbors had been genuinely content with a cold six pack on the weekends and a lawn chair. She wished she could be like that, happy with the simple things in life and a Wal-Mart trip, but she was
competitive
and she had the J.D. and the house to prove it. Spending these last few nights with Luc had been eye-opening. She wasn’t ready to go bayou, but…she could see the appeal of dialing it back, enjoying the company and the ride, rather than driving hell for leather toward the destination.

“Those guys, they were human wolves. Plenty of teeth and weapons. So I’ve seen plenty, been hit plenty. This neighborhood was my safe bet.”

“Luc and I, we’ll make it safe.” His hand came up and covered hers briefly.

He was talking about them as an item, like what had happened last night would happen again. And then again. Part of her wanted that. Part of her was flat-out scared by the possibility.

Luc emerged from the house. “House is clear. Come on in.”

Cruz stepped away from the door, opening it and handing her down like he was her very own white knight. As she followed him into the house, all sorts of possibilities flashed through her head. He wasn’t Luc. He was Cruz. Two different males, both worthy.

Two weeks to decide between them.

Right now, however, taking down a werewolf biker gang topped her agenda. She dropped onto a couch, gesturing for the others to follow suit.

“You don’ wan’ to head on up and get your things?” Luc suggested. Yeah. That note in his voice was pure command. Thing was, that didn’t work on her and they both knew it. She might have promised to follow his lead—but that was
only
in bed. And only for seven nights. All she had to do was avoid a mattress and he had no leverage.

“In a moment. See, the thing is…I’m thinking that the minute I go upstairs and do the little lady thing, grab a suitcase and pack my things, you all are going to plan a take-down of The Breed while I’ve stepped out of the room.”

Dre gave a rough bark of laughter. “Shit, Luc. You’re not keepin’ her out of this.”

Right. Now, see? That was the problem right there. Her wolves kept thinking she needed to be bubble-wrapped and kept safe. Or
kept
in general.

“I’m part of this,” she said. “On so many levels. It’s my case. It’s my life. Hell, you’re sitting in my house. If anything, that puts me in charge. I’m not stepping out or heading to the kitchen to fix canapés and my makeup while you all make the decisions in here.”

“We could make them somewhere else,” Luc drawled.

“Try it,” she suggested and Landry winced.

Cruz nodded, like nothing coming out of her mouth surprised him. “We don’ know where their leadership holed up this week. We can pick off the low level wolves, but we need to get at the leadership. I got a wolf on the inside. He’s gatherin’ intel and I don’ wan’ us to go bustin’ in there, puttin’ him in any kind of jeopardy. He’s learnin’ stuff about the operation.”

Luc nodded. “So give me options. Can your boy give us directions? IDs? Draw these guys out into the open?”

Cruz shook his head. “He can’ help us with this one. Give another month and the answer becomes a
maybe.
For now, though, he can’t afford to blow his cover.”

“Use me.”

Four pairs of wolf eyes slewed towards her, expressing incredulity. Yeah. It wasn’t her favorite option either. If another viable option had popped into her head, she would have been on board with it. It seemed like they were all agreed that The Breed needed stopping—and that meant drawing the riders out into the open. She wasn’t much of a hunter, but even she was familiar with the concept of
bait
.

“If The Breed want me, let them come get me. Put a tracker on me and follow.”

And…cue the shit storm. For the next ten minutes, they discussed her suggested plan of action. Or, rather, the guys stormed, bellowed and then did more yelling. Eventually, though, they ran out of both volume and counter-arguments. They could put a wire and a wolf on her ass and follow her. Or they could wait for The Breed to make a move. Both options involved her.

“What guarantee do I have that we don’ lose her—or The Breed doesn’t pop her on sight”?

Cruz didn’t move. “If she’s in any danger, my boy will act. That I can guarantee.”

“How sure are you of that?” Luc glared at Cruz.

“I’d bet her life on it. You think I like it? You think I wan’ to send her in there? No way in hell. But The Breed will keep gunnin’ for her. We blink one day, slip up, and we lose her. That’s not a risk I can accept, so I’m votin’ to neutralize the threat right now.”

“Fuck.” Luc shoved to his feet. “I don’ like this.”

Everyone turned and look at her. Yeah, volunteering to be human bait wasn’t her first choice either. But, she wanted this to be over.

“I’m in,” she said.

“Are you okay with it?” Cruz examined her face like somehow something there would give him a clue as what she was really thinking. And, the God’s honest truth was that
she
didn’t
know what to think.

“Some things are worth standing up for. This was my case, is my problem. I’ll take care of it.”

“Not alone.” Luc shoved to his feet. “You’ve got me.”

Cruz opened his mouth, like he wanted to join in the volunteer game. She could only imagine how Luc would react to that. Last night had been out-of-this-world fantastic on the sexual Richter scale, but it had also been a one off. No matter what her private fantasies, she wasn’t volunteering to be the rope in a game of tug-of-war between two Alphas.

“Gianna?”

“I’ve got this,” she said, actually feeling quite the opposite. She had a living room full of werewolves, but she’d never felt so alone. Funny how that worked. She wanted to walk over and throw herself into the arms of Luc. Or Cruz. And, preferably, both of them together. She wasn’t supposed to want that, was she?

“
We
,” Luc said again. His eyes latched onto hers, his shoulders stiffening. “We’ve got this. Don’ shut me out.”

“We’ve got seven nights.” Things were not as simple as Luc made them sound. Given the man’s fixation with mating, he probably figured the sexual chemistry between them was enough to fix whatever was wrong.

He strode toward her, taking him with her. In a matter of seconds, he had her on the sink, her ass cupped in his hands.

~*~

There was no mistaking the rhythmic pounding sound for anything other than what it was. Luc was on the other side of that door, driving himself deep into Gianna’s willing body. And she was definitely willing. She’d practically yanked Luc into her pretty little powder room, leaving Cruz outside to stand guard. There wasn’t room for three in more ways than one.

Which left him standing out here.

Dre and Landry prowled around the room, checking entrances and exits. Both males pretended they had absolutely no clue about what was happening in that bathroom but, Jesus Christ, Gianna made that soft mewling sound he loved, half-whimper, half-demand. She did that right before she came. He’d bet her nails were biting hard into Luc’s shoulders, her heels banging into the small of the man’s back. She didn’t always want it soft and slow.

Or quiet.

Shit.

“I’m out of here.” He needed to leave, otherwise he’d be through that door, pulling Luc off Gianna, so he could take the other male’s place. This wasn’t about two Alphas duking it out over a female. This was about Gianna and her choices. As much as he wanted to be the male in there with her, she called the shots on that. He simply had to find a way to accept her decision.