Blurred Expectations (7 page)

Josh shuddered as he held Hannah close to him, her sweet scent washing over him as he felt Reed change back to his human form.

“Thank you,” Josh whispered as a naked Reed wrapped his arms around them.

“I couldn’t let you do that to someone you knew,” Reed said as he kissed Hannah’s temple. “Hannah, baby, we’ll take care of you.”

“I knew you would,” she rasped. “Though I got a few hits in.”

Josh picked her up and kissed her softly, aware of her hurts. “We’ll take you home and clean you up, baby.” He felt Reed reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

“I’m going to call Adam and tell him to send a cleanup crew then get North to our house to take care of Hannah.”

“Let’s go home,” Josh said as he carried Hannah out of the room, leaving behind the dead man he’d once trusted. That man was his past, but the woman in his arms and the man beside him were his future.

One Month Later

Hannah snuggled between her two men as they shifted in their sleep. Josh’s hand was on her breast, kneading even as he rocked against her from behind, while Reed’s hand drifted down her belly to rub her softly. She moaned and leaned into Reed then back into Josh, loving the way they woke up in the morning.

In the month since her attack, she’d healed and let go of the pressure. She’d had to. She and her men made love daily, softly, forcefully, and everywhere in between. But she didn’t stress about conceiving. She’d almost lost her life and risked her mates’ lives because she’d been so stressed and lost her focus. The lines of what she could do and what mattered had been blurred, and she’d almost lost herself.

But, not anymore.

She felt Josh shift and heard the nightstand drawer open, sending shivers of anticipation down her spine.

“Good morning,” Reed said against her lips, and then he kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers. He increased the pressure of his hand, her body opening for him as he curled two fingers within her. She rubbed against him, wanting more. “Greedy,” he whispered.

“I want you,” she said, panting.

“You’ll have me,” Reed said as he picked up the tempo, hitting that spot to send her over. Her body flushed, tingled, and cascaded as she came.

Josh moved her leg, and then she felt the cool lube at her back entrance, his fingers soon following.

“Good morning, baby,” Josh said, his voice low, needy.

He worked her slowly while Reed teased her nipples. She closed her eyes, taking in every sensation she could, even though there were too many for her to count, to feel.

Josh moved back, and then she felt the head of his cock pushing in her past that tight ring of muscles. She stiffened at the familiar intrusion, and Reed rubbed her clit to make her relax.

“Take him in, love. Then I’ll fill you up,” Reed said, and she could feel his cock throb against her mound.

She nodded, unable to speak as Josh filled her.

“Damn, mate of ours, I love filling this ass,” Josh said as he stilled, her body slowly relaxing even more.

Reed lifted her leg higher and slowly, oh so slowly, filled her pussy. When he was seated, Hannah moaned, her body too full, too needy.

“I need you to move, or stay still, or I don’t know. Do something, anything. Oh, goddess, I love this. I love you,” she said as her body shook.

Josh licked and nipped at her neck as Reed rolled her nipples.

Then they moved.

In tandem, they filled her, alternating so she could feel their cocks rub against the soft tissue separating them.

Oh, goddess.

They increased the pace as her body heated, her climax coming…soon. Josh bit down on the mate mark as Reed thrust, hard.

Her body shattered.

She came on a wave, her men following her as they panted and slowed, their bodies pooling in a state of carnal bliss.

“Best wake-up ever,” Reed said, breaking the silence. Josh chuckled behind her, but she didn’t say anything, merely cuddled deeper into their holds.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too,” her men said as one.

They lay down together for a bit longer before necessities and time tables forced them up. They had family lunch at Edward and Pat’s house and were going to be late if they didn’t hurry. She forced herself and her men to shower separately, or they’d never leave, and then she finished getting ready.

They drove to the Alpha’s home, a giddy excitement running through her. This was family; she loved it. They were greeted by all of the Jamensons, big and small. The sight of Micah, Finn, and Brie didn’t cause that ache anymore.

As they ate, they discussed the upcoming frost, the goings on of the Pack, and the dangers that lurked.

“We need to be aware of all dangers,” Edward said as he held his grandson Micah closer to him. “It’s not just the Centrals out there, and we need to remember that. But we must also remember what is good.” He smiled at Micah, and Hannah gripped her men’s hands as emotion welled over at the picture. “This family is what is good. We’ll survive. We always have, and we will continue.”

Hannah looked over at North as he patted Ellie’s shoulder. A dark look passed over her face. Maddox stood up from the table abruptly and picked up Finn.

“He needs to be changed.”

He left the room, and the others looked around, confused.

Their family was changing. With each addition, the dynamics evolved, and Hannah was part of that. She leaned into Reed’s side as Josh rubbed her knee.

These were her mates. Her wolf and demon. Hers.

****

“Push, Hannah, push,” Josh said as he kissed his mate’s brow. She gripped his hand as Reed gripped her other.

Josh looked over at the other man and gulped. Jesus, why did they always say childbirth hurt only the mother? From his perspective, they were both about to pass out.

She’d been pregnant at that lunch with the Jamensons. She’d also been pregnant when Cyrus had taken her, though she’d only just conceived that day, or sometime close to then.

Josh shook his head then kissed Hannah again. Things had a way of coming full circle and scaring the crap out of him.

Here he was, about to be a father, and all he wanted to do was sit down so he didn’t faint and look like a pussy. From the look of Reed, Josh figured he wasn’t alone.

Thank God.

“Okay, Hannah, you’re doing good,” North said as he smiled.

Fuck that. Why did that man smile? Shouldn’t he be helping to get this done already? Didn’t he see Hannah was hurting?

Okay, maybe he needed to back off a bit.

“Push one more time, and we’ll have a baby for you to hold,” North said as Cailin, Reed and North’s sister, stood behind him, ready to help with the newborn. She’d pulled her thick black hair from her face and smiled like a ready aunt.

Hannah bore down, squeezed his hand so hard he knew he’d bruise, and pushed. Josh’s eyes blurred as he tried to use their bond to take her pain.

Holy shit, how did women do it?

A baby’s cry brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at his son.

His son.

“You did it,” Reed said as he kissed Hannah then Josh.

“A healthy baby boy,” North said as he showed off their son then handed him off to Cailin. “Okay, Hannah, one more.”

Josh froze. “What?”

“Huh?” Reed said at the same time.

Hannah bit her lip and tried to look innocent. Yeah, not so much. “Um, I didn’t want you to worry, but we’re having twins.”

Josh found his ass on the floor and looked up at Hannah. “Uh…”

“Okay, Dads, get up and help Mom because she needs you,” North said, laughter in his tone.

Josh scrambled up as Reed did the same, and held on, and Hannah pushed again.

Twins?

Oh, shit.

After all the trouble of having one, they were having two? What the hell were they going to do with two?

Another baby cried, and Josh blinked.

“A girl,” Cailin said, tears running down her face. “Congrats, Momma and Poppas.”

Josh moved back to sit on the stool as he watched Cailin clean off both babies while North made sure Hannah was okay.

“Two?” Reed rasped, and Josh nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Josh asked, his voice not quite steady.

“Because I was worried, and I wanted to surprise you,” Hannah said as she smiled, her eyes never leaving their babies.

“Well, you surprised us all right.”

Josh moved to where Cailin had both babies on the bed, their little bodies pink and wiggling.

He was a dad. Twice over.

Cailin smiled at him and handed one wrapped in a blue blanket. “Your son,” she said as Josh carefully held him. He and Reed didn’t know which of them was the biological father, but that didn’t matter. These babies were
theirs
.

Cailin followed him to Hannah’s side, holding his daughter. Hannah held out her hands, and Cailin deftly handed over their girl while Josh very carefully handed Reed their son.

“We’ll leave you five alone,” North said as he led Cailin out.

Five of them. Two babies.

“Two,” Josh said.

“Kaylee and Conner,” Hannah said. “Our babies.”

Josh leaned down and kissed Kaylee’s head. Her little eyes shot open and stared at him, her gaze so focused he knew she knew who he was, even at this young age.

“You’re both ours,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “Forever.”

“Forever,” his mates agreed.

Forever.

The End

Next in the Redwood Pack world, Forgiveness, an Adam and Bay novella where the Enforcer shows his heart to the herione we all know and love.

Carrie Ann Ryan is a bestselling paranormal and contemporary romance author. After spending too much time behind a lab bench, she decided to dive into the romance world and find her werewolf mate - even if it’s just in her books. Happy endings are always near - even if you have to get over the challenges of falling in love first.

Carrie Ann’s Redwood Pack series is a bestselling series that has made the shifter world even more real to her and has allowed the Dante’s Circle and Holiday, Montana series to be born. She's also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She loves meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated. Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens.

www.carrieannryan.com

Now Available:

Redwood Pack Series:

An Alpha’s Path

A Taste for a Mate

Trinity Bound

A Night Away

Enforcer’s Redemption

Blurred Expectations

Holiday, Montana Series:

Charmed Spirits

Santa’s Executive

Coming Soon:

Redwood Pack

Forgiveness

Shattered Emotions

Holiday, Montana Series:

Finding Abigail

Her Lucky Love

Dante’s Circle:

Her Warriors’ Three Wishes

Looking for a shifter paranormal series that’s sure to make your day? Try out Lia Davis’s
Winter Eve
.

Chapter 1

The winding, slick roads of the Smoky Mountains seemed creepier than the last time Nevan Matthews had traveled them. Then again, at the time, he’d been seven, it was daylight, and there wasn’t snow on the ground.

Why was he even going? Oh, right. His extended family would bug the shit out of him if he didn’t show up, just like they had bugged him about every aspect of his life since his father's death five years ago. And, again, when his fiancée, Becca, died a year later. The only family he had left in the world had demanded he spend the holiday season with them.

"You need your family now more than ever," Sarah, his stepmother, had said. "You spend too much time alone."

Her soft, pleading voice had tugged at his heart, and he’d finally given in. He loved his stepmother. She’d always cared for him as if he was her own son. It was impossible to say ‘no’ to the only mother he had ever known. Besides, he hadn’t been back home since his father’s death. So he took his first vacation in five years to spend the holidays in a place he didn’t belong. With people far different from him.

A blur of brown fur zipped in front of his headlights, and he jerked the rental car to the left. His heart hammered in his chest as the car swerved on the icy road and slammed into the rock wall of the mountainside.

Steam rolled from under the smashed hood and mingled with the frigid winter night as Nevan emerged from the car. He cursed under his breath and raked a hand through his light brown hair.

"Now what?"

He scanned the area for signs of life. He figured Sarah's cabin was a good twenty miles away. He'd freeze to death on top of this mountain on a night like this before reaching the cabin on foot.

Movement to his right caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes for a better look. A large leopard crouched, staring at him from the roadside. With eyes that reflected the full moon's light, the creature blinked and let out a soft growl before it turned to walk up a gravel driveway.

The animal was beautiful, scary, and its eyes held a hint of humanity. Could it be a were? Sarah hadn’t said anything about others living this far up the mountain. When the beast turned to look at him, he swore it wanted him to follow. He took a step forward, and the cat started walking again.

"Oh, great, Nev. You're being lead away by a cat, like Alice and that damn rabbit," he muttered to himself. No one would ever believe him. In fact, it was probably leading him to the den to share with the rest of the pack. Shaking his head at the ridiculous thought, he walked up the driveway. The cat sped up, running ahead much too fast for him. Then it darted into the woods a few feet from a single-story log cabin nestled into the surrounding trees. Another step caused a blinding light to click on, illuminating the front of the yard and the cabin. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She stepped out onto the large wide porch. Her straight silk-like strawberry blond hair cascaded over her shoulders and stopped at her waist. The light of the full moon cast against her pale skin made her look like a goddess.