“We could throw something together here,” she said. Right. Because going somewhere to eat might be too much like a date. It violated her “don’t get too close” rule. No way, baby, not this time. He wasn’t getting brushed off that easily. He’d had a taste of the way things could be, and that nibble was not enough. It left him starving for more. Harris might be on to something with his potion. If it made her open up to the possibility of a real relationship with them, then hopefully the next step would be to accept mating with them. It might be a foolish hope, but he’d take what he could get.
“We’d have to run to the grocery store. The pub is close,” Harris pointed out. “And the steaks are great. Might as well go there and save ourselves a sink full of dirty dishes.” She didn’t look happy about it, but finally she nodded, her reluctance easy to read.
Bending at the waist, she reached down to slip on her shoes, and her hair fell loose around her.
The memory of holding her hair, of thrusting into her mouth blazed in his mind. Dinner could wait. He took a step forward, but she was already straightening and moving into the hall, toward the front door. Harris gave him an amused, knowing grin and followed her.
Ethan heard the front door open, a murmur of voices. “Let’s go,” Harris called out, and with a growl, Ethan followed.
As soon as he stepped outside, he knew he had a bigger issue than getting back in Gabby’s pants. She and Harris stood on the sidewalk talking to a neighbor. A male, werewolf neighbor. It didn’t matter that Ethan knew the wolf was happily mated and old enough to be Gabby’s father.
The man was speaking to his mate, smiling and joking with his mate. Years of pent-up frustration and denial broke loose, and he snarled, low and vicious. Gabby took a wary step toward him, putting herself between Ethan and his quarry. That pissed him off more. What was she doing trying to protect the male?
She stopped a few inches from him and reached out to place her palm flat over his heart. It beat wildly, fast, threatening to burst from his chest, and her eyes widened, her nostrils flared to take in his scent, his emotions. “If I didn’t hurt so bad, I’d go home right now,” she said.
Her words stopped the snarl like he’d been doused in ice-cold water. He rested his hands on her shoulders and searched her face. “We hurt you?” She rolled her eyes. “Different kind of hurt.”
His confusion must have shown. She went on grudgingly. “It hurts. The heat. The need. It twists you up, and there’s only one way to relieve the pressure,” she ended on a bitter note.
He breathed her scent in deeply and knew she was telling him the truth. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek with the knuckles. “We can go back inside,” he said softly enough the others couldn’t hear. It was a promise of the relief she sought, but she shook her head.
“I’m starving. I didn’t eat today.”
His hackles rose, threatening to let his feral protective instincts free again. She was his. He didn’t like her not taking care of herself, and if she wasn’t going to do it, he’d do it for her.
“Why?”
Over the top of her head, he saw the neighbor leave, and took her hand to tug her with him.
She shrugged but didn’t try to free herself, and he hid a grin. Progress at last.
“Too antsy, I guess. Nothing looked appealing.”
“Is that normal?” Ethan asked while Harris fell in on her other side. “She doesn’t eat when she comes to you?”
He ignored her blush of embarrassment at the question, and Harris shook his head. “Not in the first twenty-four hours. Sometimes after that.”
Interesting. Ethan had never heard that heat killed an appetite for food, but why would he?
The only woman he’d touch during that time always put him off, so he’d never questioned what was normal or not.
“Is it almost over then? Since you want to eat?” The idea disturbed him. He wanted a couple of days of mind-blowing sex. It might help mellow her outside of bed. Might convince her to give them a chance.
She scowled. “I should be that lucky,” she muttered before continuing in a firmer voice.
“This is the beginning. I have no idea why I’m suddenly hungry. I shouldn’t be.” He looked her over, assessing the little he knew. She was in heat so she was fertile, but even if they’d gotten her pregnant, her body wouldn’t be adjusting to those needs so soon.
Besides she would have taken steps to prevent pregnancy before she came to Harris. Lupines never used condoms. They were immune to the diseases that plagued mankind, and pregnancy could be prevented with a simple herbal brew. There was only one other explanation for her unexpected appetite, then. He hesitated to bring the subject up, but… “You haven’t been with your mate during heat before.”
He got an angry look for that, and she covered her neck with her hands, like she was afraid he’d marked her and she’d somehow missed it. “I doubt that’s it,” she grumbled. “And don’t get any ideas. This is not a permanent arrangement.”
Yeah, we’ll see about that. He exchanged a look with Harris and knew he was thinking the same thing. They had no intention of letting her walk away. She belonged with them as much as they belonged with her. Going back to the way things were would cause a soul-deep pain he doubted he’d recover from. So they’d fight for her. It was a fight he couldn’t contemplate losing.
He didn’t want to make her angry enough she’d leave before they set their plan in motion, though, so he only nodded. By then they’d reached the pub, and he steeled himself to enter. He could already smell them. Men. Young, old, available and not. And under that, sinking talons into his mind, was Gabby’s scent. The intensity of the heat.
This was a bad idea, but she entered before he could stop her. He had no choice but to follow. Only the werewolves looked up at their entrance, and those gazes lingered over Gabby a moment. How many knew she was in heat? How the hell did he control his wolf’s instincts to grab her up, toss her over his shoulder, and get the hell out of here?
She didn’t give him a chance. Her gaze swept over the crowded space, and she set off for a booth on the back wall. He followed, managed to return the bartender’s nod as he passed, and took a seat with the wall at his back. Harris sat across from him and Gabby to his left, exposed to the room. He repressed a growl and nudged her to stand. She’d be by the wall where he could protect her. When she was on her feet, she glared and was anything but obliging.
“I’m going to say hi to Harper. Order me a beer, will you?” She took off before he could protest, and Harris grabbed his arm so he couldn’t follow.
“She’s fine,” he said softly as a waitress approached and set down three mugs. Was it good or bad the bartender knew them well enough to anticipate their drink order? Once she’d gone, Harris pulled the potion from his pocket and put an equal amount in every beer. He returned the bottle to his pocket and lifted the glass, tipping it toward Ethan. “Ready?” Ethan was not as eager, but he picked up the drink at the same time Gabby returned. This time he bullied her into the inside of the booth, but he got the feeling she was just humoring him and not accepting the protection of a mate. The waitress returned for their order, and they all drank. He didn’t breathe easy until, mostly done with her glass, she ordered another beer. There was no way she could skip drinking her whole share of the potion now.
They ate the meal with small talk, nothing of consequence, but it filled him with a sense of contentment even as he felt the heat rising in Gabby, faster and harder until it was consuming.
Harris paid before they were finished, and as soon as she took the last bite of steak, Gabby rose.
There was no lingering, and it was a damned good thing. Much longer and he’d take her on the table, demonstrate his mastery of her and show everyone she was already claimed.