Loving Their Vixen Mate (Pack Wars Book 4) (26 page)

Drake’s face drained of color. He turned toward her. “Is that true, Mackenzie? Are you working with the Colters?”

She closed her eyes as she inhaled. Then she grit her teeth and faced her accuser. “No. I am not. As for my cousin, Jay, he’s a good man. I don’t know where you all get your information, but he’d never harm anyone. He’s not a Colter.”

Sam stood. “I think we’ve taken up enough of the men’s time. Appreciate you looking out for our woman.”

Chelsea stood and held out her hand to Mackenzie. “Call me anytime. I know how stubborn these men can be.”

A brief smile crossed Mackenzie’s lips. “I appreciate that.”

Sam headed out and let Brandon deal with her. His head wasn’t in the right place to be civil.

*     *     *

As they headed inside the house, Mac took the keys from Brandon. “Thank you for talking Sam into picking up my car.”

“Wouldn’t do to have Daniels or Paul Statler’s men get curious about it. It would be bad if they even had a hint we’re investigating the sale of the women. I want them to believe that we’re happy campers after putting John Hood in jail.”

Mac didn’t buy it. “They must think someone will be looking for the women.”

Brandon walked into the kitchen and Mac followed. He pulled down three wine glasses from the cabinet and a bottle of wine from the rack. He opened it, and then poured two glasses.

“Maybe not. From the few names we know of who were taken, they either weren’t close to their families, or were heading out on a vacation. I’m guessing the Colters picked women who they believed wouldn’t be the subject of a national search.”

“That sucks.”

Sam walked past the kitchen without saying a word, grabbed something off the dining room table, and returned.

Brandon held up a finger. “Where are you going, Sam?” He rushed out after him. Mac followed.

“Going for a run. Don’t stay up. Not sure when I’ll be back.”

He closed the door before Mac could even respond. It was her fault. She wanted to go after him and ask for his forgiveness, but no matter how fast she was, Sam was faster.

Brandon clasped her arm. “Let him go.”

She reeled around. “Sam seems to think it’s his fault that I got caught. It wasn’t. I knew the risks.” Why were these men so uptight? Every minute that passed without finding Cheryl, her cousin could be in more danger from whoever had taken her.

“Give him some time.”

She pounded on Brandon’s chest. “Give him time! That’s all you ever say. Tell me one good reason why I should.”

Brandon handed her a glass of wine, grabbed the other one for himself, and led her to the living room. The pillows were still carelessly tossed on the sofa from when she’d made love with Sam. Her heart nearly broke at the memory.

“Sit down. I had hoped Sam would have told you, but the pain is still raw. Doesn’t seem to matter it happened so many years ago. I think you being here reminded him of the worst time in his life.”

She never wanted someone’s bad memories dredged up because of her. “Tell me.”

Brandon sat next to her on the sofa. “When he was fifteen, and his brother Donny was eleven, their parents went out of town. Sam had babysat before, so they thought all would be okay.”

She could almost fill in the rest. “Something bad happened, didn’t it?”

“Yes. Sam thought Donny had gone to bed, so Sam stayed up to play video games. The game had guns and made noise, so he didn’t hear when Donny snuck out of the house.” Brandon inhaled deeply as if he was in pain, too. It made sense since Donny was his cousin. “Sam’s parents arrived home around midnight, and when they went in to check on their youngest son, he wasn’t there.”

She couldn’t imagine their pain. “Where did he go?”

“The next morning, the sheriff showed up with the bad news that Donny’s body had been mauled by wolves.”

Mac clamped a hand over her mouth. Pain stabbed her belly at what Sam must have gone through. “How terrible. It was the Colters, wasn’t it?”

“Sam believes so. They found his brother’s body in an area known for its gangs.”

“Why would his brother sneak out and go someplace dangerous?” Brandon raised his brow. Oh, my God. Was that why Sam was so upset? “Do you think that’s what I did?”

“Isn’t it?”

Mac picked up a throw pillow and hugged it to her chest. To Sam, what she’d done was dumb. The fact she’d been caught gave a lot of credence to his claim. “Only kind of. I’m twenty-nine years old. Not eleven. I had a gun. Donny most likely did not.”

Brandon sipped his wine then placed it on the coffee table next to hers. “You are our mate, Mackenzie. The only one we’ll ever get. If you’d been killed, we’d never get to experience the joy of growing old together or having a family.”

She hadn’t realized how important she was to them. They meant the world to her, so it made sense they’d feel the same way. “How do you know you wouldn’t have another mate?”

“Our men talk. We’ve heard the lore. It’s said that when we are in wolf form, if our mate dies, we’ll hear her wails for the rest of our lives.”

“How sad.”

He picked up her hand. “Can you see why Sam is so protective? He yearns for a family and a companion, and you almost took that away from him.”

Guilt swamped her, but the need to help Cheryl still raged inside her. “I can’t hide the rest of my life.”

“I know.”

“So now what?”

Brandon pulled her closer and stroked her cheek. All of her frustration seemed to melt away. “We take one day at a time.”

“What about Sam? Is there something I can do that will help him get over his fear?”

Brandon leaned back, cradling her in his arms. “I don’t know what it will take for Sam to forgive himself. I recognize that he needs to move on, but he doesn’t. He’s transferred a lot of his guilt over losing his brother to you. If he can keep you safe, then it might make up for what happened with Donny.”

“That’s dumb.” She cuddled closer. Too bad she understood his warped logic. She, too, wanted to be some kind of super hero, just like her dad.

Brandon lifted a lock of her hair and twirled it in his fingers. “To us, his actions might seem short-sighted, but not to Sam. He won’t admit that he was just a kid at the time. He did nothing wrong. Someday, he’ll forgive himself. All we can do is not make it worse.”

If that meant she couldn’t look for Cheryl, then Sam would have to deal another way. “I’ll try to be good.”
I just might not succeed.

B
randon held her close. “I’m hurting, too, darlin’. Seeing Sam go through this pain again, tears me up. I know you didn’t mean to set off Sam’s inner demons, but when you weren’t home when we got back here, we were scared.”

Mackenzie looked up at him, her bottom lip trembling. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. How about heading to bed?” He kissed her forehead.

“Shouldn’t we wait up for Sam?”

Brandon shook his head. “When Sam gets in one of his moods, he likes to stay out for a while. Last time he was troubled, I didn’t see him for days.”

Her brows pinched. “Where did he go?”

“To north Georgia or to the southern part of North Carolina. He needs to be in the woods. Florida’s forests don’t satisfy him. He needs tall trees, boulders, and rivers.”

She sat up. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

He leaned over and kissed her sweet, honeyed lips. “You didn’t mean to get caught.”

That almost got a laugh out of her. “No, but I did. Donny didn’t mean to run into shifters either, but he did. We all need to be careful. I get it, but you two rush headlong into danger every day.” She dragged a finger down his chest, distracting the hell out of him. “If I’m your one chance at happiness, doesn’t it work the other way around? I am half werewolf.”

“You’ll never get to test that theory. We’re never going to let you get away from us.” Brandon scooted off the sofa and lifted her in his arms. She was so perfect. “Time for a little loving.”

Instead of Mackenzie’s usual sassy retort, she placed her head on his shoulder and sighed. After tonight’s ordeal, Brandon wanted to really take his time and love her right. The problem was that the wolf in him wanted to come out whenever he was near her. Rumor had it that as time went by he’d have more control. He hoped it was sooner rather than later.

He placed her on the bed then turned off all but the hall lights. He’d have to remember to buy some candles, betting Mackenzie would like the romance of it all.

“It’s nice in here,” she said, her voice sounding a bit sleepy.

“I hope it will get a little nicer in a moment.” Brandon kicked off his boots then shucked his pants, shirt, and briefs. His cock stood at attention, worshipping the woman on the bed.

She sat up. “Can we take a shower first? I’m a bit grimy after my experience.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my hands off you if you’re all wet and naked.”

“I was counting on it.” Mackenzie approached and all thoughts of taking his time flew out the window. She cupped his face. “I want to say I never meant to mess things up.”

“It happens. You weren’t trying to upset Sam. You wanted to find Cheryl.”

She smiled. “For understanding, you might get an extra reward.” She tapped his cock, stepped back, and quickly undressed down to her bra and panties.

“Black looks good on you.”

“Oh, yeah? I’d ask you to take them off, but we’re suppose to be getting clean first.”

“I’ll be quick.” It would be hard to keep from ravishing her if he touched her, but he did it anyway. He pinched the hook in back and lowered the bra straps. Her perky breasts screamed for him to lick the tips, and he couldn’t keep from bending over and drawing one nipple into his mouth.

She pulled back. “You are incorrigible. How about turning on the shower? If we don’t wash now, we’ll never get clean.”

He was weak, but he blamed it on this mating thing being so new to him. Not wanting to miss one second of looking at her, he backed up into the bathroom.

Mackenzie laughed. “You’re being silly. Do I need to do it?”

Brandon didn’t want her to think he couldn’t do something as simple as turn on the water. He opened the glass door, stepped in, and twisted the lever. Her shampoo and body wash sat on the seat in the corner of the shower. This was going to be fun.

Once the water warmed, he poked out his head. “You coming or what?”

Mackenzie stepped out of her panties and slipped in. He wanted to ravish her right then and there. He leaned forward and made an exaggerated inhale. “Guess I need to soap you up real good.”

“That wasn’t the plan.”

“It is now.”

He removed the handheld head from the wall and ran the water up and down her body, making sure her pussy was sufficiently wet before replacing the metal rod back on the hook. He picked up her bottle of soap and poured a handful.

“You’re really going to wash me?”

He wished her brows hadn’t shot up. “Don’t you think I can do a good job?”

Before she answered, he plastered his palms on her breasts and cleaned them thoroughly. She moaned and he smiled.
Score
. She was so his. When she dropped her head back, he dragged his hands all around her breasts, loving their weight. Before she got feisty and tried to clean him, he lowered his hand to her pussy, dipped two fingers between her folds, and got the response he wanted.

“How am I doing?” he asked.

“Good. Keep going.” She kept her eyes closed.

Brandon dropped to one knee and washed her legs, spending most of his time near her pussy. He’d given her a little taste of what was to come, and he wanted her to need more. When she widened her legs, he cleaned everything but her clit. He’d take care of that later.

He stood and rinsed her front. “Turn around.”

With her eyes open, she not only turned around, but she planted her hands on the wall, and spread her legs. She was a cruel one. His cock ached and his damn bones started to shift.

Instead of taking his time, he quickly washed her back then cleaned his cock. One little dip wouldn’t hurt, would it? He’d pull out in time. They were destined to be together, so did it matter if some little werewolf was conceived? He’d be happy, and he suspected Mackenzie would, too.

Brandon leaned over her back and placed his cock between her legs.

“What are you doing?” Mackenzie chuckled as she twisted her head to look at him.

“I can’t help myself. I need just a little taste. I’ll be quick.”

He pressed his cock against her opening and slid right into pure heaven. His woman clearly wanted him, which only made his desire soar higher. The first dip had his claws extending. He withdrew his cock and inhaled to keep control.

“I need you,” she panted.

He thrust in once more and held still. When his teeth elongated, he had to pull out or chance losing it. He shut off the water and ushered her out of the shower. Mackenzie reached for a bath towel, but he couldn’t wait.

He dipped his shoulder and lifted her up, grabbing hold of her legs.

She laughed and whipped him with the towel. “I’m all wet.”

“All the better to love you.” That didn’t make sense, but he didn’t care. He tossed her on the bed and crawled next to her, his head in the opposite direction to hers. He grabbed hold of her slippery legs and lifted the top leg to expose her perfect pink pussy. The first swipe of his tongue across her opening caused her to suck in a breath. “You like that?” he asked with as much innocence as possible.