One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (2 page)

I have three weaknesses in this world: chocolate milk, combustible sex, and Austin Cole.
All six foot three of him.

During our vacation, I’d had plenty of chocolate milk and Austin Cole, but the spontaneous romance was another story. First, I conjured up a migraine. Next, I suffered from a relentless stomachache. Each time Austin grew amorous, I would either develop a new ailment or find something else to keep us busy.

I swirled my spoon in the bowl of chili, thinking that I should have postponed the vacation. Halfway to Colorado, I’d felt the familiar warmth of precursory tingles that signaled I was going into heat soon. Most women couldn’t predict with a crystal ball, fortune cookie, palm reader, or Mayan calendar when heat spells would strike. And trapped with my hot mate in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere was the last place on earth I wanted to be during my cycle.

Women were more likely to become pregnant while in heat, and after my miscarriage earlier that year, I realized Austin had been right all this time about postponing a family. I hadn’t told him about that particular incident, but he’d been by my side during the other times and accepted the losses with quiet humility. I was still a young wolf with many more centuries ahead of me, and a Relic once suggested that I might be able to carry to full term someday.

Maybe.

Despite the risks, I wanted kids, and my ovaries had been singing Austin’s praises over the past couple of days. Every time he walked by without his shirt on, I heard the tune “We Will Rock You” in my head with all the clapping and foot stomping, and all I wanted to do was climb on top of him and claim what was mine.

My worst fear was that someday he might leave me over this. Shifters mated for life, but nothing could have prepared Austin for the challenges we faced as a couple. A Packmaster led by example and had to appear strong and infallible so the pack would follow him. Animals could sense weakness, and besides, I just couldn’t bear the thought of his brothers looking upon him with pity in their eyes instead of respect. I loved Austin too much, and this twist in the road was unfair to a man like him.

I was born to be a mother, and I was willing to take all the losses if it meant only one gain.
Just one
. But another miscarriage would only serve as a painful reminder to Austin that he might never be a father, so it would be selfish to keep trying. It was hard to remember the joy of pregnancy when my mate acted as if I’d just contracted a terminal illness and had nine months to live.

Then again, maybe he just had an aversion to poopy diapers. When Izzy’s kids were babies and needed a diaper change, Austin would pull a disappearing act.

“Holy smokes, this is spicy!” April gulped down her ice water and then pressed the glass against her flushed face. “Forget three-alarm chili; you need to call this the Level Red Special.”

Reno belted out a laugh. Level Red was the code the men in the pack sometimes used when there was trouble. “Tastes fine to me, princess. I
like
it hot,” he replied suggestively.

April whispered in my ear, “Whose idea was the chili?”

“When Austin volunteers to cook, I don’t ask questions,” I whispered back, sliding my gaze up to Austin, who sat at the opposite end of the table.

“Well, tonight should be
real
romantic under the covers.”

I coughed with laughter and quickly covered my mouth. April resumed eating with a straight face, flicking a hard glance across the table at her mate, who was gearing up for his third bowl of spicy beans.

A log snapped in the fireplace to the right, the flame illuminating half the room. White candles lit up our table as well as the countertops in the kitchen. The wood floors, walls, and ceiling absorbed the light like a sponge.

The couples faced each other, with Reno and Lorenzo on my left. Lorenzo and Austin had been talking about the size of their land, which in Shifter speak was the equivalent of comparing penis sizes. Apparently, Lorenzo had a bigger penis, so Austin was thinking about expanding his own girth.

“Austin, we have plenty,” I said for the second time. “Lorenzo has a bigger pack. What would we do with over five hundred acres?”

The look he gave me could have frozen water. Mate or not, I still had to show my Packmaster respect in front of others, but he looked too damn sexy in that blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. I winked at him and nibbled on my cheese cube.

“Alexia is right, Cole. What would you need with so much land?” Lorenzo asked, his long black hair so straight that it shone like spun silk.

Austin blew the steam from his spoonful of chili. “A man needs to think about the future and prepare. We’re a growing pack.”

“You’ve been saying that for years, yet the only recent addition I can think of is… hmm, let me see. Ah, yes. The old mountain lion.”

Austin dropped his spoon onto his plate and sat back, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin. “For your information, Church, the only reason Maddox is under my roof is because he’s in a serious relationship with one of my packmates. It’s a unique situation since Lynn isn’t a Shifter, so rules were bent. Maybe you need to think about diversifying your own pack. Having a panther and mountain lion gives me an edge.”

Lorenzo turned over his unused fork. He, like Ivy, was also Native American, and wore jewelry indicative of his heritage. Tonight he had on a turquoise bracelet and a leather necklace with an arrowhead affixed to a clasp. “Tactical advantages don’t impress me, not when packmates could turn on one another in the heat of battle. A wolf trusts his brethren, but how can he trust an animal that could be the same as his enemy in battle?”

Austin relaxed his arms on the back of the chair. “I trust my packmates with my life.”

“I hope one day that trust is not tested.”

“Lorenzo,” Ivy said with reproach, “we’re here to break bread with friends, not antagonize them. I happen to agree with Austin. Enemies would never anticipate a pack is sheltering other animals. While my father doesn’t believe in mixing a pack, it would have benefited him a time or two if he hadn’t been so closed-minded.”

“Your father is a smart man.”

She narrowed her eyes, her long braid slipping over her shoulder when she leaned forward. “And since when do you respect my father? You’re just trying to get a rise out of me.”

A smile played on his lips. “Indeed I am, sweet Ivy.”

Ivy sat back and lifted her chin, giving him a private smile. “We’ll discuss this later, Thunder Wolf.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” Reno began, “but I can’t figure out why the hell you invited us over tonight. I thought you two would be… uh, busy up there.” He pointed his spoon toward the loft.

My heart sank when I saw the look of embarrassment on Austin’s face before he quickly concealed it with a broad smile. “We’re wolves, not bunnies.”

Lorenzo laughed and then pinched the bridge of his nose. Ivy’s body abruptly jerked as if she were kicking him beneath the table, and the laughter quickly died in his throat.

“We didn’t just come here to have a good time,” I argued.

Damn, that came out all wrong
.

Reno waggled his brows at April. “Speak for yourself.”

If her cheeks weren’t red from the chili, they were on fire from the heat culminating between her and Reno. April had confided in me that even though he was okay with vanilla sex, she had become open to trying kinky things that fired up his engine. After all, they loved each other, so playing with handcuffs and a blindfold wouldn’t hurt anyone. I could only imagine what was going on in cabin number two while Austin and I were playing Scrabble.

April smiled at Reno with her hazel eyes, touching the ends of her blond hair, cut just above her shoulders. She had aged gracefully and was no longer the naïve girl I’d met over fifteen years ago. April had matured into a beautiful woman who sparkled like a diamond. Reno’s crown jewel.

“Anyone want pie?” I offered.

Reno’s spoon hit the plate and his dark brown eyes rose to meet mine. “Did you say…
pie?
”

“Lexi, you didn’t spend all day baking, did you? This is supposed to be a vacation,” April chided.

“It’s not a vacation without pie.”

When I scooted my chair back, Reno shot to his feet.

“I’ll get it,” he said, stepping over his chair and scoping out the kitchen like a wolf on the hunt.

My homemade pies were coveted among the men in the pack; it was the one dessert I rarely made. Pies just didn’t sell in the bakery unless it was a special order.

Ivy stood up and began clearing the dishes.

“Wait a second,” I said over the chatter. “You’re the guest, not the maid.”

Ivy balanced a plate on her forearm as a waitress might. “You and Austin have cooked us a generous meal. This is the least we can do to show our gratitude. No matter who I’m mated to, you will always be family to me.”

“I’ll help,” April said, a flash of guilt on her face.

I could have argued, but I didn’t. Some battles weren’t worth fighting. There was a little wine left in my glass, so I gripped the rounded bottom and moved to Ivy’s chair.

Austin nodded at Lorenzo’s wine. “More grapes? Or would you like a man’s drink?”

Lorenzo’s eyes sparkled with humor. “Wine is a good idea. We should do this more often. The cabin and surrounding territory are impressive.”

The wine made a glug-glug sound as it was poured into Lorenzo’s glass.

Austin set the bottle down. “I know the guy who owns all this land; we go way back. He tried renting it out years ago, but most Shifters aren’t renters. I threw out an offer for a time-share situation, and we created a contract. I can stay anytime I want between certain months in the winter, and the rest of the year belongs to another guy who comes out here to hunt and fish.”

“Wolf?”

Austin shrugged. “Hell if I know. Hector, the owner, keeps everyone’s business private. We get our own linens, towels, and blankets so that it feels less like a motel and more like home. The only thing we have to do is clear out all the food and drinks before we leave. Since Ivy restored a lot of the furniture, Hector made the guy sign a clause that if he damaged anything outside of the normal wear and tear, he’s out.”

Lorenzo lifted his chin, looking about the room. “And
this
is what you prefer to invest your money in?”

“Only this cabin is part of the deal. Yours and Reno’s I had to negotiate on the side since Lexi wanted to extend the invite.”

“Humph,” Lorenzo mumbled judgmentally. “When I take my woman on a trip, it’s not to socialize with anyone but her.”

Maybe inviting everyone over as a buffer wasn’t such a good idea.

Austin postured in his chair, leaning forward and flexing those delicious muscles, which were sadly concealed beneath flannel.

I had half a mind to spill red wine on his shirt just so I could watch him strip out of it and show off his impressive torso. I squirmed in my chair when I thought about nibbling on his tatted shoulders and hearing his rough, sexy voice whisper, “
Baby, keep doing that
.”

“Just look at your woman,” Lorenzo continued. “Surely you’ve noticed the lust in her eyes; I think we both know what’s coming.”

That snapped me to attention and I gave him a scathing glance. Those two jackasses were talking about me going into heat!

“You
knew?
” I asked Austin.

He cleared his throat, rubbing the whiskers on his jaw. “I’ve been planning this trip since July, so don’t give me that look. I have a good sense of smell, but not
that
good.”