Tightly Held [Werewolves of Hanson Mall 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

Ethan punched Nolan on the upper arm. “Excellent plan.” Suddenly he felt more confident. He was convinced that together he and Nolan would find where they needed to get to. He knew now he could deal with the interviews. If there were things he didn’t know, he could write them down and ask Georgia when she wasn’t busy. And he had a plan to kiss her and demonstrate his desire to care for her. Then, if that went well, they’d take her on a date. Things were looking mighty fine from where he stood tonight.

To Nolan, it seemed that the pack they visited first on this second trip was very similar to his other experience. The Alpha and his mate welcomed them, and the senior citizens were happy to see them and had thought of things to tell them they’d previously forgotten, as well as answering all their questions. Then new information flooded to them, exciting the entire team.

One old man explained it well. “Before we knew about the family history project, we tended to think on our own stories and remember them. But once we heard about the genealogy research, it made us think of other stories, ones we might have only heard once or twice at family reunions or weddings and funerals. It made us think hard, and together we’ve remembered people we’d forgotten had existed.”

But the huge advance was a little rhyme an old lady recited to them.

When two are in the garden,

A son will soon make three.

When three are in the garden

You’ll be blessed with a family.

“We’d never really thought about it before,” she said.

“As soon as Mary remembered it, we realized we’d heard it, too. But not since we were small children,” added a man.

Mary spoke over him. “We also feel it has a different meaning. A hidden one for adults only. It’s not saying that families usually have a son at all.”

“It’s saying that if the adults form a ménage they’ll have more children,” the old man cut back in again.

“And that’s why our pack never died out,” Mary finished.

Nolan was still trying to keep an enormous smile off his face, as Georgia asked quietly, “Can any of you remember a family that might have been a ménage?”

“You have to understand we were only small children at the time.”

“It’s a very long time ago.”

“Several families had daughters, so it might be true.”

Later, Nolan and Ethan interviewed various people while Georgia concentrated on interviewing Mary. But just the thought that some packs might have had ménages in the past was an incredibly momentous step forward for the genealogy project.

Instead of the seniors going home early, as had happened before, everyone sat around talking until late at night, discussing their ancestors, trying to pinpoint if there had been any ménages in this pack. Finally the Alpha had called a halt to the evening. Some women brought hot chocolate around for everyone to drink, and the Alpha said, “That’s enough for tonight. You don’t want to be too tired to concentrate on your interviews tomorrow. Put a notepad and pen beside your bed tonight in case you think of anything new, and then go to sleep. Tomorrow we’ll start again at nine.”

At the Cottlesloe pack they’d all stayed in the main house. This time they were shown to a small house nearby. “Back in the olden days the widow of the previous Alpha used to live here, so it’s not very big, but you should be all right just for a few days. I’m really sorry that there’s no cable TV.” The young man who was their guide seemed almost embarrassed at such a technological faux pas.

Nolan smiled at him. “Our pack didn’t even have Internet until recently.”

“No Internet?” The teenager looked as though he might faint at the thought. Then he took them inside the house, opening the refrigerator and pointing out the two bedrooms and bathroom, before leaving.

Georgia went directly to the refrigerator and took out a bowl of fruit, placing it on the table and taking a large peach to eat. “I have to say, I cringe when there’s no Internet somewhere. I don’t think I’m addicted, but I hate it when I can’t just look up something to find out an answer.”

Nolan stared at her luscious red lips wrapped around the peach and wished it was his cock she was licking like that. Then he sat at the table with her and picked up an orange. As he peeled it he teased her. “Were you one of those nerdy kids always hanging out in the school library?”

“Fuck no. I’ve always loved reading, and have been guilty of reading under the desk in class instead of doing what I was supposed to do, but to me lunch break was the time to hang out with my friends. And that meant to talk to them. Talking was pretty much banned in the library. Besides, with a cell phone, the library is on my phone these days.”

Ethan was crunching on an apple but he swallowed then said, “Baseball. Before school, after school, at lunchtime, between classes, we played baseball all day, every day. I think I was seven or eight before I even realized school wasn’t just the place people went to play baseball, but that kids were supposed to do math, and science, as well as play baseball.”

They all laughed, and Georgia put down her peach to wipe her face. “I agree with you. School was much more about friendships than about learning for me. Sometimes I’m surprised I even managed to graduate.”

“What did you do after graduation?” Nolan asked her, trying hard not to lick his lips in lust as she sucked peach juice off her fingers. Damn, she was beautiful and so very sexy.
If only that was my cock.

“I studied history. That’s why I was assigned to this project.” She picked up a second peach and said, “It was a wonderful moment for me to be chosen right out of college. My father kept telling me to study teaching or nursing so I could get a job. He said no one would want a history graduate. That might generally be true, but in my case I beat the odds and have the most amazing and wonderful job.”

She bit into the peach and Nolan’s dick grew another inch. He was happy for her to have gained her wish, but it was difficult to concentrate on what she was saying, when what she was doing was filling his heart and mind with indecent images of what they could do together.

* * * *

Ethan knew he and Nolan had agreed not to attempt to kiss Georgia until the last day on this road trip, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Every day spent near her was a day longing to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. And right now, watching her make love to that damn peach was killing him. He was certain his balls would be turning blue and that his cock had never been this hard before. His pants were so tight he really wanted to unzip them and give his equipment some room, but that would be even more likely to offend Georgia than pulling her into his arms. So he’d go for kissing her and just hope that he and Nolan did it so well she’d enjoy it instead of terminating them from the project.

Georgia dropped her peach stones in the trash, rinsed her fingers in the sink, and then said, “I feel mean taking the big bedroom and the large bed, but you need two beds so that means you get the smaller bedroom.”

Ethan really wanted to suggest they all share the big bed, but he swallowed hard and said, “Nolan and I will go back to your SUV now and get your luggage for you.”

“Thanks. If you leave my carry-on bag outside the bathroom door, I’ll take a shower now and then the bathroom will be free for you both to use.”

The thought of her naked under the shower had Ethan realizing the only shower he should take tonight would be a cold one. And kissing her would likely only make him want her even more. But that was too bad. Kissing her was what he planned to do, unless Nolan was really opposed to the idea.

Georgia went down the hallway and he and Nolan walked back to where they’d left the SUV and collected their luggage. Ethan looked all around them carefully, but saw no other people around. Nevertheless, he spoke very softly. “I plan to kiss her tonight. I can’t wait any longer.”

“That’s what I want, too, but what if she hates it?”

“If we do it right, she can’t hate it.”

“Okay, but you can go first.”

Ethan thought as he spoke. “I’ll take it really slowly. Give her plenty of time to step back. But surely she’ll give us one kiss each, just to see if she likes it.” Well, that’s what he hoped. He hadn’t had a huge number of girlfriends over the years, but no girl had ever slapped his face for kissing him or told him he was a horrible kisser. Of course that might just mean they’d never been kissed by a really expert kisser until after they’d kissed him.

Oh, it was all too hard. He would kiss her tonight. That was settled. And if he failed, hopefully Nolan would succeed and redeem the pack’s honor.

He took his suitcase into the second bedroom then went back to wait in the kitchen where he could look down the hallway if he heard her leave the bathroom. Nolan was already there making a pot of coffee. They didn’t need another drink, but he understood Nolan wanted to keep busy. He felt a bit the same, and pacing the floor wasn’t really appropriate. Besides, right here was the best place to wait for her to leave the bathroom. If he listened really hard he could hear the water running in the shower, even over the small noises Nolan was making.

Ethan sighed and got three mugs off the shelf and then sat down again.

When the bathroom door finally opened, Nolan spoke. “Georgia, I’ve made coffee if you’d like a drink.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Ethan supposed she was taking her carry-on bag to the bedroom.

He hadn’t even thought about what she’d be wearing. After all, they’d all guessed they’d probably be sharing a house with other people. It wasn’t as if they’d each be alone in a private hotel room. Since he’d brought his suitcase this time, both he and Nolan had packed pajamas, although he had no plans to walk around the house in them. Apparently Georgia wasn’t worried about such things. She arrived in the kitchen in a baggy white T-shirt which said, “I only like NY as a friend,” and even baggier tomato-red pajama pants. He was absolutely certain she wasn’t wearing a bra and had to clench his fists to prevent himself from testing out that theory right away.

Nolan handed her a mug of coffee and she sat back at the table with them, sipping it. No one spoke, but Ethan thought the silence was companionable. Everything that needed to be said right now had already been said, and none of them felt the need to talk unnecessarily to fill up the empty space. That seemed to him a good sign. A clear indication that they were getting to know each other, and to feel relaxed with each other. He hoped it also meant that she’d accept their kisses because he sure as hell needed to have her in his arms before he exploded with unfulfilled ardor.

When she finished her drink he stood beside her chair and held out his hand to her. She stood up and he put his hands on her shoulders before stepping closer. Georgia lifted her beautiful pale blue eyes up to him and he turned his head slightly and kissed her. She tasted of the coffee, but she smelled of flowers and woman. She was soft and sweet in his arms and when she didn’t complain he wrapped them right around her body and held her close to him. Again, not tightly, to scare her, but enough that she’d know he wanted to care for her.

He deepened the kiss and licked the seam of her mouth. When she opened to him, he tightened his grip on her farther, pulling her against his aching, needy dick as he slid his tongue into her mouth and gently explored every inch of it.

He was careful not to kiss her for too long, but breaking his touch from her was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

Nolan was standing behind her, and Ethan very gently turned her around to his face his friend.

His dick was aching with need and was as hard as a rock. He watched Nolan kissing Georgia, rejoicing when she stood contentedly in his grip. So far so good. Nolan picked Georgia up in his arms, and Ethan’s heart began to race. He hurried ahead of them to the larger bedroom and pulled the quilt off the bed, folding it carefully before laying it across a chair. Nolan settled Georgia in the center of the bed and Ethan climbed up beside her, with Nolan on the other side.

It seemed as though kissing had worked, so he kissed her some more, this time pouring every ounce of his need and desire into his lips, wanting her to know he’d never hurt her, but would really like to do more.

Weight moved and settled differently on the bed, and he knew Nolan was doing something, but it wasn’t until he broke apart from Georgia, his head almost dizzy from her amazing kisses, that he saw Nolan was naked. Well, getting Georgia naked would be even better. He rolled her T-shirt up and stroked his hand across her belly. She smiled at him. Nolan took the initiative and pulled the shirt up higher. She raised her arms so Nolan could pull it right off.

Wow. She’d given them approval to do more. Ethan moved back a little to give Nolan space to take the lead. All he wanted to do was touch her skin, stroke her, and maybe kiss her breasts. But fair was fair and it was Nolan’s turn.

Still, getting undressed couldn’t hurt, so he slid off the bed and stripped out of his clothing, leaving it in a pile on the floor because he needed to be back on the bed, touching her, holding her, and loving her.

Ethan stayed at the foot of the bed, staring at Georgia’s feet. They were long and narrow, very elegant indeed. He lifted one foot up and gently stroked a toe, then another toe. He rubbed her heels and petted her arches, before sliding a hand up her leg, inside her pajama pants. It was too hard. He couldn’t reach enough of her. He kneeled up and put his hands on her hips and gently tugged at her pants. Obediently, she raised her ass off the bed and the pajama bottoms slid down her body. He threw them on the floor and concentrated on her legs, stroking and petting them, licking the inner sides of her legs and kissing behind her knees.