A chuckle came through the earpiece. “Sounds familiar. Don’t worry, while that feeling won’t go away entirely, even once you’ve claimed her, it will become easier to bear once you don’t have to fight it.”
“Yeah, well, that’s if she ever lets me claim her. She’s still convinced Mitchell is her one and only. I made the stupid suggestion of using me as jealousy bait so she thinks everything I do is part of this plan to get the stupid dog.”
“So tell her how you feel.”
“And scare her off? I can’t take the chance. Nor can I interfere with her plan to capture Mitchell’s interest for fear she’ll hate me.”
More laughter filled his ear. “Ahh, poor baby brother. I’d wager that you’re slated to be in a threesome like me and Ethan. Can you handle sharing?”
“Never thought about it,” he answered honestly. “Then again, I also never thought I’d ever find a mate like you either. The idea of having to share her with another man…” Should have disgusted him, made him walk away, done something other than rouse his curiosity as to how he’d feel watching her in the arms of another. Or more decadent, joining in.
He’d seen the happiness Ethan and his brother shared with Naomi, heard their indiscreet cries of pleasure as they spent every night together, the three of them at once. Could he handle it? If it means pleasing Francine? Probably, dammit.
“Don’t let the whole other guy thing wig you out. Just keep your focus on her and you’ll see the pleasure is well worth it. But discussing my sex life wasn’t the reason why I called. Some dude has been staking out the neighborhood and I think it’s because of you.”
“Oh that’s priceless. Blame me even if I’m not there.”
“Who else should I blame when the truck we found stashed in the woods has plates with a dealership sticker from our hometown?”
A curse slipped from him. “What does the stalker look like?”
As Javier described the man, Alejandro’s grip on the phone tightened to the point he heard plastic cracking. “Fuck. He followed me.”
“Who?”
“Bloody hunter whose daughter I banged one night drunk. I think he saw me shifting in the woods when I left her room.”
“You fucking idiot.”
“It wasn’t my fault. I’d left her bedroom and thought I was alone. The bastard was hiding in a blind wearing some fucking animal piss that masked his scent. He took a pot shot at me, but I got away. The next day, I heard he was in town making inquiries, trying to find out who I was. Rather than lead him to Mama and the others, I thought I’d take a vacation and visit family.”
“And led him straight to us.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to find my trail.” A trite reply to a possible sticky situation.
Javier sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Shit happens. I’ll let the neighborhood know and we’ll be on our guard. You might want to stay away from here though. I don’t want Naomi in danger.”
Just the thought of her or the babies she carried getting hurt made him sick to his stomach. “I should probably go to a hotel so that Francine is safe too.”
“And leave her alone if he’s already found you?”
Double fuck. He couldn’t leave her unguarded. “Good point. Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”
They exchanged good-byes and hung up. Staring at the ceiling where the sound of water running had stopped, he couldn’t help clenching his fists in anger. If that bastard dares to harm a hair on her head… He’d kill him, pure and simple.
Chapter Seven
Hanging off his arm, nattering nonstop, Mitchell refrained from sighing at Jenny’s annoying presence. In the past, he’d never noticed certain things about her, such as her too slim frame-unlike someone’s plush, curvy one. Ignored her habit of using too much makeup-so different from a certain fresh-faced girl with freckles he knew. Tuned out her stupid attempts at conversation, while recalling the fun he’d had verbally sparring with another.
Even on a date with a girl guaranteed to give him a good time, he couldn’t stop thinking about Francine. Worse, he kept comparing her to Jenny, and poor Jenny, she couldn’t seem to win in any category.
He actually began thinking of ways to ditch his eager date when they came in. Looking ridiculously gorgeous-and nothing like a sister, dammit-Francine wore a short red skirt that flared, a tight top that showed off cleavage deep enough to swallow a hand, oh and a certain cat, whose possessive arm around her staked his claim quite effectively.
Bright eyes only lightly outlined with dark eyeliner skimmed over him, and he didn’t miss the quirk of her lips as she took in his date who chose that moment to hang herself on his neck like a pendant. Before he could disentangle her, Francine tugged at Alejandro, leading him toward the bar, but Alejandro changed her direction, instead leading her onto the dance floor.
It briefly crossed Mitchell’s mind to wonder what she did here, this techno club not her usual hang out. His sister and Francine usually preferred cocktail type bars. Not that how she’d gotten here mattered. Present, and looking entirely too delicious, he couldn’t push her from his mind. An irrational urge came over him. He needed to see her, touch her. Mark her, whispered his wolf. However, instead of doing any of those things, he stayed put, and lost sight of her among the dense bodies. His beast just about lost its mind, pacing and growling that he find her. Surely a peek wouldn’t hurt, a glimpse to ensure nothing untoward happened whilst in the grips of the seducer.
“Let’s dance.” He dragged Jenny, craning to locate a mop of auburn curls, and when he found it, both man and beast let out a low growl. Stopping dead on the dance floor, he watched as Francine danced with Alejandro, her hourglass shape undulating to the music’s fast tempo, the cat’s hands on her hips guiding her. A hypnotic sight if he ignored the other male and imagined himself in his stead.
An arm wrapped around him from behind, a bony frame pressing up to his back. Jenny shouted in his ear, “I thought we were going to dance?”
Pivoting, he tried not to let his annoyance show on his face. Poor Jenny. She’d done nothing to deserve his ire. He moved jerkily to the toe-tapping rhythm, trying not to cringe when his date kept rubbing against him. Harder to fight was his urge to peer back at Francine and see what she did. He lost that battle. Twirling Jenny, he swapped places with her in time to catch the girl that he could no longer consider as a sister, dirty dancing with the cat. Facing away from Alejandro, she gyrated her buttocks against him while the seducer let his hands roam over her stomach, sliding them to a point just under her breasts then down again to clasp her hips.
Unbidden, Mitchell’s cock swelled at the sight, their dance so mesmerizing and sensual that he wanted to join them, press in on her from the front, have her hands wander over his back as he hungrily devoured her mouth.
“Mitchell,” yelled a voice that didn’t sound like a husky promise coated in laughter. “I’m so flattered.” It took a hand cupping his crotch for him to clue in on what Jenny meant. He recoiled from her touch, repulsed and imbued with a sense of guilt. Not at having gotten caught lusting for another woman, but because he didn’t want Francine to see Jenny touching him.
His distaste didn’t go unnoticed. Confusion twisted Jenny’s face, and he could see her opening her mouth to speak. An answer eluded him so he took the cowardly route. He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the bar.
Unfortunately, she followed, not so easily ditched.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jenny asked, her fingers digging into his arm, trying to stop him.