Wolf Ways (The Madison Wolves Book 9) (40 page)

“You could do this yourself if you set bundles around here and there,” I said.

“Yes, but it’s still a lot faster with help, and the company is nice. Otherwise I’d let you keep working here and I’d head over to the other side.”

“You have another nailer?”

She smiled and nodded. “But I’d rather do it this way. Maybe if we get some volunteers to help this afternoon, then we’ll run two nailers at a time.”

It was work, and of a type I wasn’t accustomed, but it was fun. We spent the time talking and teasing each other.

We worked steadily the entire time, but when Portia declared a break, I was more than ready. “Lunch. Then we’re going to work for an hour or so before going for a swim.”

“Oh, that will feel nice,” I agreed.

* * * *

Shortly after lunch, with us both back on the roof, a guy with a truck stopped by and dropped off the dumpster, asking Portia where she wanted it. She pointed to a place on the driveway. We didn’t even need to climb off the roof.

It was more like an hour and a half when she straightened up, stretched her back, and said, “I think it’s time for that swim.”

It had been my turn with the nailer. She pulled me to my feet. We put the tools to safety and then looked around, our arms around each other.

“We have a problem,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“We’re almost done with this side. We’re not going to spend my fifty hours this way.”

“Afraid what I’ll make you do next?”

“Do you have jobs lined up for me?”

“Not enough. I’ve been turning down some of the requests.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think you should have to do Rory’s laundry, for instance. Rory’s a really good guy, and I’m always happy to have him at my back, but he can be a jerk, too. They also wanted you to serve for an enforcer by-invitation picnic, but I vetoed that, too. I didn’t think it was right to make you serve food you find morally objectionable.”

“I’d have been okay.”

“They want to do a whole pig, and if I know them, they’d have made you carve it.”

“They wouldn’t!”

“Well, I don’t know how much support that idea had. There’s a picnic; it’s the weekend after next. And there’s nothing on the menu that you eat.”

“Is there really a whole pig?”

“Yep.”

“Enforcers only?”

“Enforcers and guests. Everyone is supposed to bring a date. Plus the alphas will be there.”

“Who did you invite?”

“I haven’t yet.”

“Well, for the record, while I’ll never lecture any of you for your choice of food. If someone did a pig like that for pack play night, I wouldn’t say anything. But I’d be really upset if anyone expected me to cut it up or even serve her. Thank you for looking out for me.”

She leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “You’re welcome.”

“So, what jobs do you have lined up?”

“There’s more maintenance on this house,” she replied. “And some fall planting. Gia wants some help setting up more electronic surveillance.”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“It’s for the eagle nest. She thought you’d be good.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“You’ll be washing cars on Monday after the trip. We’ll get back too late on Sunday to do it. That’s a small one. Karen said she’s thinking about painting some rooms in her house.”

“Has Monique submitted anything?”

“No.”

“I think she should, if she has anything.”

“She happily let you take her shopping,” Portia said with a grin, “but no driving privileges. I’ll talk to her and let her know she should submit requests if she has any.”

“I could help set up for that picnic,” I said. “But that’s only a few hours.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get your hours in, but it might drag out a little. Would that bother you? I can get some of them converted to pack service hours if we don’t have enough things for the enforcers.”

“I don’t want to let GreEN suffer, and I have errands on Thursday. Who is going to drive me?”

“I am. Come on. Let’s go swim.”

* * * *

We swam laps; it felt good. I was much slower than Portia, but I swam slowly and steadily, loosening up and cooling off. Even though it was autumn, it was warm on the roof.

Finally Portia called a halt, and we collected together in the shallow end. I couldn’t help but admire her body. I looked her up and down pointedly, and I didn’t mind that she caught me doing it. She raised an eyebrow.

“What can I say? You’re stunning. Does it bother you to have your lesbian prisoner admire you?”

She smiled. “Thank you. No, it doesn’t. Do you really think of yourself as my prisoner though?”

“I was being light-hearted.” I moved closer. “Your skin is perfect. Your entire body is perfect.” I shook my head.

“What?”

“In my head, over and over, I keep using the same words. I am in awe. I think I always will be. In that video of Elisabeth, it wasn’t just her wolf that stunned me. I saw her as a human, as well. She was stunning as both. So are you. You all are.”

“Do you see differences?”

“Between you and Elisabeth?”

“Between any of us, other than color.”

“I’m starting to. It’s harder for me when you’re wolves. You’re all huge. Even the teenagers are huge. The pups aren’t, but I can tell they’re going to be, as well.”

“What notices do you see, say between Karen and me in fur. Have you noticed?”

“Her head is blockier. If I were to compare it to canine counterparts, her head is more like a male black lab’s than yours, although of course, bigger. And you’re different colors. I’m sorry, should I see other differences?”

“It’s probably hard with the fur. Karen, Elisabeth and Lara are all bigger than I am. Elisabeth is actually a little bigger than Lara and is the biggest female in the pack. In fur, Elisabeth has fifteen pounds or so on me. What about us as compared to the guys?”

“Eric is bigger than Rory.” I thought about it. “Maybe about the same difference as between you and Elisabeth?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

“But I don’t know if he’s bigger than Elisabeth. I can’t tell.”

“He is.” She paused. “But you understand, we’re not just a physical beast. We’re also magical.”

“I imagine, what with the shape shifting and all.”

“The size we become as wolves is partly genetic, partly training, and partly determination. Elisabeth is bigger than Lara because Elisabeth as a teenager expected to become the alpha. Lara only worried about being big enough to help protect her family. But they both were very determined as teenagers to be as powerful as they could be, and so they are the most powerful members of the pack. I expected to be in the army special forces, and so I have a different sort of power as a wolf. Karen, too, although she aimed for the army rangers, which is just a little different than special forces.”

I smiled. “I’m not sure I fully understand, but that just makes you more amazing.” I moved closer and ran my fingers down her wet arm. Portia stood very still while I did it. I shook my head again.

“What?”

“I was remembering Eric in the weight room.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m not quite that impressive.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be. God, if I weren’t so gay…”

She laughed again.

“Have you two ever…”

“No. I don’t date other enforcers. It’s a recipe for disaster. Did Elisabeth ever play, um, a little roughly with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Imagine two enforcers. We’d destroy the house, and then it would go from lovemaking to a fight for dominance.”

“Serena and Emanuel make it work.”

“Emanuel is a very, very good enforcer, but he doesn’t fight Serena for dominance. As I understand it, he fell in love with her when they were both teenagers, and he would have done anything for her. He still would. Wolves can be exceedingly devoted that way, but it’s rare to see a wolf like him able to be so comfortable shedding his need for dominance, even with the devotion.”

“I’d like to get to know the two of them when they aren’t on duty, I think.”

“That’s rare. We’ve been so busy. But it’s getting better. I understand Angel was a godsend, and Monique is going to be, too, along with the other kids coming through the program. But she’s by far the best of the teenagers.” She smiled. “She has a crush on you. On both you and our fox.”

“Yeah. Ah, if only I were twenty-some years younger.”

“Twenty-
some
?”

I grinned. “So. You’re strong enough to pick me up, right?”

“Of course. Did you want a demonstration?”

“In a minute,” I replied. “Are you strong enough to throw me?”

“Yes.”

“How far?”

She eyed me. “Seriously?” I nodded. “I don’t know. It would depend upon conditions, whether you were cooperating…”

“Expect me to cooperate.”

“Maybe as far as ten yards. I’m not sure. But you’d get hurt when you landed.”

“So, you could, for instance, pick me up right here and throw me into the deep end?”

“No, but I could from the edge of the pool. I’d have to swing you, and you don’t have a lot of places to hang onto.”

I took her hands and began walking backwards towards the deep end.

“Where are we going?”

I looked over my shoulder and came to a stop. “Just here. Cup your hands together.” I cupped my own to demonstrate.

“Oh,” she said. She cupped her hands. I turned around, and then she helped me slip a foot into her waiting hands. She lifted, and I found myself balancing precariously, halfway out of the water.

“Can you throw me so I can dive back in? Don’t throw me too far.”

“Put your hands on my shoulders.” I reached back until I found her shoulders. Then I felt one hand slip out from under my foot, but she held me — and it seemed as if it were easy — with one hand. “Give me your other foot.” After a moment, she had a foot cupped by each hand. “All right. On three, I’m going to start lifting. I’m only going to try to throw you about six feet or so. You should push off from my shoulders so you start to fall forward. If I weren’t about to throw you, you would fall face first. Keep your legs straight.”

“Ready.”

“One… two… three.” On three, I pushed forward from her shoulders and at the same time, she lifted me quickly. I went up and up, lifted my hands forward, and came down in something resembling a dive.

It wasn’t going to win any awards for grace, but it was a dive. When I got to the surface, I laughed. “That was fun.”

I turned around and swam back to her.

“I can throw you higher and further, but I can’t give you any more control. It’s just a little too awkward. Again?”

And I nodded.

We tried a few different things. She threw me six times total. Some turned out to be more graceful than others. By the time we were done, we were both laughing. I returned to her and gave her a hug. “That was fun. Thank you.”

“It was fun for me, too.” She smiled at me. “You’re a strange woman.”

I wasn’t sure that was a good thing. “Oh?”

“I can’t figure you out. You’re serious and playful. You’re submissive and dominant. You’re fierce and so easily frightened. You get hurt, and sometimes you bounce back, and other times you don’t. You’re outgoing and quiet.”

“Well, I’m all those things,” I said. “This has all be such an unexpected situation for me that my old behavior patterns don’t work. But patterns and who I am aren’t necessarily the same thing. I think, consciously or subconsciously, I’m testing new patterns.”

“I suppose.”

“The playfulness is new. That’s a reaction to all of you.” I paused. “I like it. I don’t know how to play the games you play. I haven’t played physically for a very long time, and I was never the sort of athlete that being around all of you requires. But I don’t want to be left out.”

“You enjoyed paintball.”

“I wasn’t very good,” I said. “And I never will be. I liked the games where you weren’t eliminated after getting shot once. I could keep playing. But other than the last game, I got the impression the wolves like the others a lot more.”

“We do,” she said. “Although that last game is probably everyone’s favorite. It would be too much if that’s all we played though. And we’re pretty driven for the type of competition that the elimination games offer.” She smiled. “Perhaps we have time for one water game, but then we have work waiting for us.”

“Oh? What game did you have in mind?”

“Water tickle fighting,” she said.

“Oh no!” I said. Immediately she began stalking me slowly, and, shrieking, I tried to stay away from her.

She chased me all over the pool, but she didn’t swim any faster than I could evade. But finally she herded me into the deep end of the pool, capturing me in the corner. Both of us were laughing when she grabbed me. Seconds later I found my wrists trapped in one of her hands, and she began searching my body for ticklish places.