Authors: R. E. Butler
“I will
always
stand up for you, sweetheart.”
She groaned and buried her face in his chest. “You make me feel like an ass.”
He laughed. “Sorry?”
Her head tipped back and she smiled. “You’re just sweet, and I almost screwed it all up.”
He brushed his lips across hers. “Let’s get some rest, sweetheart. It’s been a really long night.”
She nodded and turned toward the bed. It took only a short amount of time for the three of them to strip and get comfortable. Rue tucked between him and James, with her soft curves and sweet scent a seductive temptation.
Rue’s back was to him, her head resting on James’ shoulder. John rested his hand on her hip, and she grabbed it, pulling it up between her breasts with a murmuring sigh. John grinned and then yawned, closing his eyes. Earlier, he’d been wrong about Rue being there when he woke, but now, as he drifted off to sleep, he was positive that she would be there. Her acceptance of their mate claim, her acknowledgement that she wanted them in her life, and that she was going to make an effort to let down her walls was enough to settle his beast and let him rest.
She would be there when he woke; he was sure of it.
Dom sat in the third row seat of Holden’s SUV with Henry as they drove to Bent Creek. Melody, Tristan, and Micah were in the second row, and Holden drove while his brother, Jax, sat in the passenger seat. Jax and Holden were Melody’s uncles and had apparently lived in King until just recently, moving into the boarding house with the other pride members.
Melody, however, had grown up in Bent Creek. Her father had taken her away from King and the pride when she was a baby and kept her away from pride members. She’d never met another mountain lion until her father died and she went to King to try to find her uncles.
Dom wasn’t too happy about what had happened the night before. John was right — Dom should have stood by his mom no matter what — and he’d lost sight of that when he’d been worried about Henry. He had no idea what it meant that Henry felt like a brother to him. They’d never met before a few days ago, but Dom felt as though they’d known each other their whole lives.
After John had handed down Henry’s punishment, Dom and Henry had talked for a long time about the future. Henry was still in high school. Dom had dropped out of school and gotten his GED at sixteen because his hair turned white when he shifted and his mom was worried they’d be discovered. As he thought of his hair, he reached up and touched it.
“What?” Henry asked, eyeing him speculatively.
“Just thinking about high school.”
“Ugh, I have to go back tomorrow. I don’t want to think about it right now.”
“You’re lucky. I liked school.”
“Feel free to take my place.”
Melody turned around in the seat. “Do you want to go to college? There’s a great community college just outside of Ashland.”
“I never gave it much thought, and Mom didn’t really have the financial resources to put me through college.”
“Things can be different now,” Micah said, smiling encouragingly.
“I guess so,” Dom mused.
It was nearly lunchtime when they arrived in Bent Creek. Holden parked in the grass in front of an enormous brick house. Intricate carvings of wolves decorated the double front doors, and the amazing artistry roused Dom’s jealousy. He wanted to just stand in front of the doors for the rest of the day and admire them, but they weren’t here for him to drool over someone else’s talent.
Melody knocked on the front door. Micah and Tristan stood on either side of her, and Holden and Jax stood in front of Dom and Henry. Jax looked over his shoulder and said, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Holden elbowed him. “That’s vague.”
Jax grinned. “Sorry. Don’t break anything, don’t touch anything, and don’t run off. Got it?”
Dom and Henry nodded and Dom saluted Holden. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Good grief,” Jax groaned with a chuckle.
The front doors swung open and a beautiful blonde woman stood in the doorway. “Yay!” she yelled, grabbing Melody in a hug. The two women bounced up and down in each other’s arms and as soon as they broke apart, they talked rapidly.
Micah and Tristan watched with amusement. When the women had stopped screeching in excitement, Melody turned to the group and said, “Scarlett, these are my uncles, Holden and Jax, and these two handsome kids are part of the pride — Henry Fallon and Domino Jennings.”
Scarlett moved away from Melody and hugged Jax and Holden and then grabbed Henry in a hug. “I remember you from the wedding. It’s nice to see you again, sweetie.”
“You, too, Scarlett,” Henry said.
Scarlett turned to Dom and his breath froze in his chest. She had the most beautiful blue eyes. “Domino? That’s a cool name.” She kissed his cheek and gave him a light hug.
It took a moment, but Dom finally found the ability to speak. “Thanks,” he said, his voice squeaking. He cringed.
Scarlett hooked her arm through Melody’s and said, “Come on, your family can meet my parents before the party is in full swing.”
They followed Scarlett through the house and into a large family room. A dozen males milled around, and an older male and female stood near a stone fireplace that had an enormous tree trunk as the mantel.
Scarlett introduced Melody’s uncles, Domino, and Henry to her parents and then pointed out all twelve of her brothers. Dom had been an only child, and he’d often wished that he had a brother or sister to hang out with, especially when he was younger and his mom was too scared to let him have friends over or go to other kids’ homes.
“You can all go outside and help yourselves to the food, take a walk around the property, go down and see the lake. Make yourselves at home,” Scarlett’s father said.
Scarlett frowned at her father, and then said, “I’ll see you out there in a few minutes.”
When they were outside, he heard Melody say, “That was weird. They must have some family business to discuss.”
While Melody and the others stayed near the house, Dom and Henry decided to walk to the lake that could be seen from the back of the house. The large lake had a wide dock with several small boats tied up to it and was ringed on one side by tall trees. Dom sat down on the end of the dock, his legs hanging down, and looked across the calm water.
“You can’t have her, you know,” Henry said, sitting next to him.
“Who?”
“Scarlett. She’s Ray and Wesley’s mate.”
Dom made a face. “I don’t want her.”
“Oh please,” Henry laughed, “you were tripping over your tongue. She’s pretty, but she’s just not ours.”
“Ours?” Dom looked at the Henry.
Henry looked uncertain. “I, well, I thought —”
Dom smiled and put his hand on Henry’s shoulder, stopping his floundering. “It’s okay. I was just teasing. I know that we’re brothers, not just because our parents are mates but also because we’re connected somehow in a supernatural way. I’m sure we’ll find a mate to share someday, but first you need to finish high school.”
Henry groaned and lay back on the wooden dock, covering his eyes with his hands. “I have two more years.”
“At least you get to finish school.” Dom had never cared what his hair looked like, but he knew his mom was very sensitive about it. He’d been able to just keep it trimmed short and covered with a cap, but she didn’t have that luxury.
Dom told Henry about the craft site where he sold commissioned artwork. Henry, sitting up on his elbows, said, “That’s so cool. I want to be a cop like my dad.”
“Seems like it’s the Fallon family business.”
“Yep. Will you change your last name when our parents get married?”
“Sure.”
Silence settled between them for a few moments, and then Henry said, “I’m glad you’re my brother.”
“Yeah, me too,” Dom said.
When they decided to walk back to the party, Dom saw a chunk of wood off to the side that looked like a piece of walnut. He picked it up and turned it over a few times and then said, “Cool.”
“What?”
“You can’t see it? It’s a horse.” He traced his fingers around the image he saw in the wood.
“Um, it looks like old wood to me.”
“Trust me, it’s there,” Dom said. He tucked the wood under his arm and they joined the wolf pack, finding their own pride members sitting on lawn chairs. Dom sat down next to Jax and pulled his penknife from his pocket and began to scrape the wood.
Jax asked, “What’s that all about?”
“When I see a piece of wood, it talks to me. I don’t know if I can explain it right, but I just
have
to carve whatever the image is I see. Does that make sense?”
Jax grinned. “That sounds like how I feel when I hear an engine that needs a tune-up and I want to stop the driver and ask if I can fix it for him.”
Dom nodded and turned his attention back to the wood. As the day wore on, the image of a horse standing on its back legs, front legs reared and head thrown back, was revealed. When the horse was nearly finished, one of Scarlett’s brothers — the youngest, named Christian — took Dom into a storage shed and gave him some pieces of sandpaper so he could smooth the rough edges.
“That’s pretty cool, man,” Christian said, admiring the horse.
“Thanks.”
“My sister likes horses.”
“Oh?”
“Sure. She’d probably enjoy a gift like that, since she’s gotten some bad news.”
Dom’s head snapped up. “Bad news? Is she okay?”
Christian shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He clapped Dom on the shoulder. “She’d just appreciate it, if you were planning to give that cool carving to someone.”
“Yeah, of course.”
Christian and Dom left and rejoined the party, and Dom watched him walk through the throng of wolves and find Scarlett. Dom hadn’t paid a whole lot of attention to her — Henry was right in his belief that Scarlett was meant for someone besides them. Or two someones. He wondered what the deal was with Wesley and Ray and why they weren’t at the party.
By the time they were ready to leave and head back to Ashland, Dom had finished the horse. He could have listed it on his site and probably made a good bit of cash for it, but he decided to give it to Scarlett.
He found her standing at the corner of the back of the house, leaning against the porch railing, staring out over the crowd.
“Hey,” Dom said, suddenly feeling like an idiot.
She looked at him and he was overcome with her unhappiness. She seemed to force herself to smile.
“Hi, Domino. You guys leaving?”
“Yeah. I made this for you. I heard you like horses.”
She straightened and looked at the carving he held out to her. “Oh, Domino,” she said with a breathy sigh, “that’s so sweet.”
She took the horse from him and studied it carefully, running her fingers across the horse’s back. “It’s amazing. It looks so real.” She hugged him with a soft laugh. “I really appreciate this, Dom. I’ll treasure it.”
Just as she stepped back from him, the rest of the pride joined them and everyone said goodbye to Scarlett. She walked them out to the front of the house, her eyes shiny with tears as she hugged Melody and waved at them while they piled into the SUV.
“She seems so sad,” Henry said as Holden backed the SUV out and turned onto the street.
“She’s getting mated soon. Her dad just told her tonight,” Melody said.
Tristan looked over his shoulder at them and said, “You guys need to keep this to yourselves, okay? Wes and Ray don’t need to know about something they can’t change. It’ll just hurt everyone, especially Scarlett. Got it?”
Henry and Dom both nodded their understanding. Dom didn’t know the pride well enough to interfere, but he thought it was sad that the pride knew that Wesley and Ray were Scarlett’s mates but weren’t sharing the news of her impending mating to someone else.
Henry said with a low voice, “Don’t worry, okay? This kind of stuff always works out.”
Dom certainly hoped that was the case. Scarlett seemed like she could use some good news. It was too bad that Wes and Ray weren’t there to give it to her.
Rue, James, and John spent the day together while Dom was with the other lions visiting the wolf pack in Ohio. All day she kept having mini panic attacks, worried because she wasn’t with him. At first she had tried to hide it from James and John, but eventually she couldn’t stop the stark terror that flashed through her because she didn’t know exactly where her son was and who was with him.
She thought they might be angry with her because she was worried about Dom, but they weren’t. They just reassured her that Dom didn’t have to be within eyesight to be safe and eventually, as the day wore on, the fear lessened and she felt as though she could breathe for the first time in years.
As the afternoon waned, she joined James and John in the kitchen to make dinner for the pride. Not everyone was joining them for dinner, but they would make enough for those who worked in the evenings — like Chase, Hunter, and Dylan — to eat when they got home.
While John made an enormous salad and James poked a knife into potatoes and put them in the microwave, Rue made a brown sugar sauce for the ham slices that were warming in the oven. She glanced over her shoulder at James and John as they worked. The day had been surprising on many levels. They’d taken her to lunch at a diner in town, and although it had taken her a while to feel as though she wasn’t so exposed with her hair, she’d eventually relaxed and enjoyed herself. No one had called her a sinner, or turned away because they thought she was evil.
The microwave beeped and drew her thoughts back to the present. She turned off the burner under her pan of brown sugar sauce and reached for the hot pads on the counter. She removed the tray of ham slices from the oven and set it on the stove. She drizzled the sauce over the ham and put the empty pan in the sink and filled it with hot water.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said as her stomach growled.
“Me either,” John said.
James walked into the hall and hollered up the stairs, “Dinner!”
It took only a few seconds before the sound of people coming down from the second and third floors could be heard. Grant’s and Aaron’s five kids were the first at the table, jockeying for the seat closest to the ham. Aaron and Jericho were working, but Alek, Lachlyn, Sam, and Grant sat down, followed by Jilly, who took the chair next to Rue. James sat at the head of the table, and John sat between James and her.
“Where are Ray and Wesley?” Alek asked.
“I think they went out,” John answered as he took the tray of ham from James and put two slices on Rue’s plate. She’d noticed that they always made sure that she had plenty on her plate before they filled their own. John was definitely more of a caretaker than James, but they both had a mile-wide compassionate streak.
Grant said, “They’re angry because they found out that everyone went to Scarlett’s house.”
“I’ve heard her name mentioned a few times,” Rue said, putting a dollop of sour cream on her baked potato and handing the container to Jilly. “Who is she?”
“She’s Melody’s best friend. Ray and Wes feel like she’s their mate but she is some kind of special she-wolf and isn’t allowed to just mate with whoever she’d like. She cut off contact with them and they’re pretty miserable,” James answered.
“That sucks,” Rue said. Being with the pride had shown her how different life could be with a family who truly cared about each other and celebrated their differences. She felt sorry for Scarlett, and especially sorry for Wesley and Ray. She knew she’d never met her mates before that night in the woods, but if someone told her she couldn’t see them again, she didn’t know what she’d do.
She snorted inwardly. Well, she knew what the
old
her would do, which was take off running and pray for a clean getaway. But the
new
her, the one who had been waiting at the side of the road for James and John to come get her, wanted to embrace the pride and all it stood for.
James smiled at her. “It does suck.”
When dinner was over, Sam said, “Thanks for making dinner, we’ll handle the dishes.”
“Oh, Mom!” Owen made a face.
She smiled down at him and said, “Don’t ‘oh mom’ me, kiddo. Your dad said if you wanted to go camping this weekend that you all had to help with the dishes tonight and pick up your rooms.”
“I know,” Owen said and grinned broadly.
James had to get ready for work, so she and John followed him upstairs to his room. “I’ll be back about three a.m.,” James said from the closet as he changed into his uniform.
Rue smiled at him when he came out of the closet wearing his black uniform. He really had a sexy body; his shoulders were broad and his waist was tapered. Seeing him in the uniform made her wish he didn’t have to go to work.
His brown eyes flashed and he growled softly, closing the distance to her and cupping her face. “You smell good,” he said, his voice a low purr.
She stared into his eyes, watching them swirl to the amber of his beast. “You’re pretty sexy.”
His upper lip curled and he growled. “I have to work.”
“I know,” she reached for him, putting her hands on his hips. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I know, baby.” He spoke the words softly and then pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that seared all the way through her. When the kiss broke, James’ eyes darted to John’s with a decidedly jealous gleam, and Rue caught John’s shit-eating grin.
She chuckled and leaned against James, wrapping her arms around him and inhaling his spicy, masculine scent. “Be safe tonight.”
“Always,” he said, running his fingers through her hair a few times and then kissing the top of her head. He strode away, opening the bedroom door and winking at her before closing it.
“So, do you like this room?” John asked.
“As opposed to what?” She climbed onto the bed, leaned back and stretched.
John came down over top of her, caging her in with his arms. “Mine.”
She raked her fingers up his arms and tugged on the sleeves of his shirt. She frowned, a sudden, unwanted thought pushing into her mind.
“What?” John’s brows drew together in worry, his eyes filled with concern.
“It’s nothing,” she said and shook her head as her fingers rubbed his biceps underneath his sleeves.
He lifted one hand and cupped her face. “It’s not
nothing
if it makes you unhappy. Spill.”
“You guys still haven’t asked me to be your mate.” She focused on the collar of his shirt, unwilling to look into his eyes.
He went very still over her, and she swallowed hard, worried she had overstepped some weird boundary. She had no experience with relationships. Maybe mountain lions didn’t ask each other to be mates; maybe it was just an unspoken understanding.
“Well, shit.”
Her gaze darted to his. He looked chagrined, an adorable, half-smile curving his lips. “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked as he slipped to his side next to her and rested his hand on her stomach.
“Of course.”
“I haven’t really dated much. When we lived in King, the females drove away anyone who sniffed around the males too much. We came here to Ashland to make a new life for our people, but I still never quite got out of the habit of keeping to myself. When we met you, there was too much going on to romance you the right way. While I don’t regret the declarations we made, I do regret not taking our time and romancing you. In all honesty, I have no idea how to be in a real relationship and I’m probably taking a lot of things for granted. Like you knowing that we want you to be ours forever.”
Warmth spread through her. “You’re sweet.”
He grinned. “I try. But obviously I’m not doing a very good job if you were feeling like things were unsaid between us. Can we put a pin in this until James and I can ask you together, for real?”
Relief flooded through her. “Thank you.”
“For what?” His hand flexed on her stomach, and she was aware of how close he was to a very tingling part of her anatomy.
“Being sweet and thinking of me. Can I tell
you
a secret?” She lowered her voice, placing her hand on top of his.
“You can tell me anything, sweetheart.” His eyes darkened, the blue turning to a shade of midnight that was almost black.
“I’ve never been with anyone more than once. I’ve never…cuddled or slept next to a person all night. You and James are my first.”
His hand flexed again, and he fisted her shirt, pulling the material up and exposing her stomach. “I like being your first.” His voice was husky with desire, and her body tingled even more, her skin prickling in awareness.
Was he even aware of how many firsts she’d allowed them without any conscious thought? That she’d slept naked between them on multiple nights said a lot about her feelings toward them. Those feelings…hell, she was falling for them. Hard and fast. She was still scared, but the fear was tempered with a desire to belong and to stop running.
“Howard.”
John’s head snapped up from where he’d been bending, his lips puckered as if he was going to kiss her stomach. She could have slapped herself for saying something to stop him from doing whatever delicious thing he’d been planning with his sexy-as-sin lips.
“Who?”
She smiled and brushed her fingers through his thick hair. “Me. My real last name is Howard. I changed it to Jennings after I had Dom. I was afraid if my clan was looking for me after I had Dom, they’d find out I had a child and come after us.”
“Is it real? Your last name? Legal, I mean.”
“Yeah. I was working at a hotel at the time; I even had Dom at the hotel with a midwife who was a friend of the hotel owner’s wife. The owner’s wife worked for the city and she helped me see a judge who was willing to push things through for me. It just happened that I met the right people at the right time. I changed my name legally to Rue Jennings and left my old life behind. Or I tried to anyway.”
John’s face softened and he released her shirt and cupped her face once more, his warm palm settling against her cheek. “Thank you for letting me in, Rue. I know it’s not easy for you to trust anyone with your secrets.”
She gripped his wrist earnestly. “I don’t want you to doubt that I want to stay. I know I screwed up by taking off. I know you don’t trust me.”
John shook his head. “Rue, I trust you completely. You said you were going to stay with us, and I believe you. When we went to bed after we got home from picking up you and the boys, I knew you would be there when I woke up.”
Her eyes stung with fresh tears. “You did?”
He growled softly and lowered his head, nuzzling her throat. “Yeah, I did. And so did James.” He gave her a very serious look as he lifted his head. “If we thought you’d take off again, James and I would have stayed up all night making sure you didn’t leave. We’d have handcuffed you to the bed. But we didn’t do that, Rue. We went
to sleep
.”
“It never mattered to me what people thought of me before you and James came into my life. It was just me and Dom against the world.”
“You’re not alone anymore. Do you understand that? James and I would do anything for you and Dom. Not because we’re honorable, not because we’re cops…but because you’re that important to us.”
“John,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“I’m right here, sweetheart,” he answered just a moment before he crushed his mouth against hers. His tongue swept into her mouth and she moaned deeply as the sweet, decadent taste of him filled her. His hands swept down her throat, his fingers teasing her as he skimmed over her top and grasped the hem. They parted only long enough for him to pull the top over her head and then their mouths were together again, their lips pressed tight, their tongues dancing and tangling. He cupped the back of her head with one hand, holding her captive while he kissed her thoroughly. His other hand rubbed slow circles on her stomach, the friction making her skin prickle.
He kissed her positively senseless, her mind spinning as he nibbled on her bottom lip before nipping kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. “Every inch of you tastes like heaven,” he whispered hoarsely.
Her hands gripped his collar. She tugged, wanting to ask him to take off the shirt but unable to find the words. He sat up suddenly, cool air swept over her and chilled her body, but she forgot that when he whipped his shirt over his head. He hooked the center of her bra and gave a light tug before slipping his finger inside one soft cup and teasing her nipple.
She groaned, reaching behind her to undo the bra, allowing him to tug it from her body and toss it aside. He leaned over, planting one hand next to her head and sliding his other hand up her side slowly. He traced the curve of her body, cupping her breast and rubbing his thumb across her tightening nipple. Lowering his head, he softly kissed the tip before tracing it with his tongue and then sucking it into his mouth. She buried one hand in his hair, fisting the soft strands while he sucked and teased her nipple. She gripped his shoulder with her free hand and then traced her fingers down his back. He moved to her other breast, plumping it with his hand and feasting on the tip as if it were his favorite piece of candy.