“Yeah, and it’s going to push ours up ahead of schedule,” Ace added from the open doorway.
Kelly froze. “I, ah, how long were you standing there?” She hadn’t heard the door open, and from Zack’s flat expression, neither had he.
“Long enough to come in my shorts.” Ace grimaced. “Watching that… Man, I want to see it all over again.”
The tension in Zack told her where the problem lay -- in Ace’s direction.
“You know, I really am tired.” Zack kissed her shoulder and gave her a hug. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I think a rest would help me heal faster. I have a feeling we’re going to need our strength for tonight.”
“Okay.” She stroked his face, so in love with him.
“Thanks, Kelly. I think I can sleep now.” He winked and kissed her palm, dismissing Ace as easily as if closing the door. “Wake me in a few hours, would you, Kel?”
“Sure. Get some rest.” She leaned down to kiss his cheek, put on her robe, and pushed a scowling Ace out of the room.
Once outside, she had to forcibly drag Ace back down the hallway toward the kitchen.
“It’s you,” she said bluntly.
Ace clenched his jaw. “Yeah, I get that. What the hell’s his problem? He was all about sharing, not wanting to fight. Now he wants to keep us separate?”
Kelly felt off balance. Her body kept telling her to take more of them while her heart said to slow down. They all needed to know each other better before she lost her mind to the mating heat. She’d learned more about Ace this morning than she had in the three years they’d known each other. His childhood explained a lot about his attitude.
Always the hardhead. The macho male. The one with the cocky grin and lazy stance who said he could take whatever was shoved at him. Ace’s way of dealing with his insecurities was to pretend he didn’t have any.
Then there was Zack. The easygoing, friendly partner. The one who took more of Ace’s crap than anyone on the team. The gentle giant who stirred Kelly’s need to protect, but who could turn into a dominating beast in the bedroom.
Her mates had so much depth that needed plumbing, but she had a feeling they needed to start with each other. She had her own questions that needed answering, and she needed her own space to think as well.
“Ace?”
“What’s the matter?”
“I need to see Caitlyn. Some girl time would really help, you know?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“Plus, there’s a few things I need to do at the compound --”
“Hell, no. I don’t want you around those horny bastards.” Ace fumed.
“Ah, okay.” She hadn’t thought about that. Still, she could use an objective viewpoint.
Caitlyn had once been where she was now. “But I don’t see the harm in going over there. I love Derrick and Hale. I know they’d never do anything to harm me. And Roane’s so in love with Caitlyn, he’s no threat.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to keep all that love to yourself,” he snarled. “If the guys scent you now, they’ll want to fuck you. And I won’t be able to stop myself from taking them apart.”
He wasn’t joking. Instead of frightening her, his anger appeased her. She needed a worthy mate, one strong enough to protect and support her. Ace’s aggression triggered satisfaction in her beast.
“Okay. Then I’ll call her to come here.”
He nodded stiffly, clenching his fingers tight.
“Relax, Ace. I can barely handle two mates. I don’t need any more.”
“That’s right. Mates. Mine and Zack’s.” Ace stepped forward to nuzzle her cheek.
“Mmm.” He stepped back. “Okay. You call Caitlyn, and I’ll make myself scarce. I promise.
Besides, I need a shower. I wasn’t kidding about coming in my shorts.” His eyes flashed with heat. “That was really hot. I wonder how we can turn sixty-nine into a three-way.”
He grinned and left her staring after that perfect ass, as if he knew what he did to her.
Kelly groaned and fanned herself. Oh, hell. I’m really turning into a bitch in heat. I need help.
She picked up the phone and dialed Caitlyn.
Caitlyn arrived a few hours later.
“Thanks so much for coming. Ace doesn’t want me around the compound until I can put a lid on…this.”
Caitlyn smiled. “He’s right. You’re safer away from the others just now. Doc explained to us what’s going on. Should I say congratulations?”
Kelly shrugged. “Ah, sure. Thanks, I guess.”
“This is a hard thing to understand until you go through it.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Caitlyn nodded and sat across from Kelly in the living room. “Let me give you what I know. The guys mean well, but even Doc doesn’t understand that being a female Circ is a lot different from being a male Circ. Women and men think differently. To men, it’s a huge plus to be bigger and stronger.”
“Frankly, I don’t see the advantage being gargantuan will get me, not when I have to run errands around people I know.”
“Yeah, that might be a problem. Scaring the mailman won’t win you any favors around town.” Caitlyn grinned.
“Please tell me this will get easier.” Kelly sighed. “I like that I’m closer to Ace and Zack, but this intense relationship is complicating things. I’m so confused right now.”
“Maybe I can help with that. As far as what to expect physically, you’re going to turn into a she-beast. When changed, you’ll be able to see, hear, smell, and taste like you wouldn’t believe. The enhanced senses are there when you’re normal, too. But they’re magnified to the nth degree when you’re beastly.”
“Beastly. Great. You mention your beast a lot.”
“It makes sense. You probably already understand that part of yourself I’m talking about. Oh, and before I forget, the first time you change, it might get a little rocky.” Caitlyn blushed.
“Rocky?”
“Since you’re not mated yet, you’ll want to screw anything not nailed down. That’s why Ace wants you to stay far away from the others. And trust me, when you’re mated, you’ll know. It’s more than just sex with the guys. It’s something hard to describe.” She paused. “Any questions?”
Kelly stared, wide-eyed. “Uh…”
“Sorry, too much? It’s a lot to take in. And you have two guys. That’s gonna be tough.”
They remained silent for a moment as Kelly absorbed what Caitlyn had said. “So what’s it like? The mating heat?”
Caitlyn squirmed. “You want to screw everybody with a Circ heartbeat. I couldn’t control myself around Roane at all. But at the same time, I had to challenge him. My beast wanted someone I couldn’t control. He had to be the strongest, fastest, toughest -- you get the drift. It’s an animal urge, Kelly. You just have to accept and go with it.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t want everybody. I only want Zack and Ace. You told me I haven’t yet mated, but my beast knows what it wants.”
“What she wants,” Caitlyn corrected. “The beast we talk about lives inside you. It’s a real part of you now, not just an instinct or a feeling. I think of mine as a second level of consciousness. And your beast is never wrong. Doc thinks she’s almost psychic.”
Kelly considered that. “Lately, I’ve sensed when something’s bothering the guys, or if something’s wrong. And it’s more than hunch. It’s almost like I know things.”
“Right. My intuition pretty much flares at anything to do with Roane or my safety. But there it ends. It’s not like I’m psychic now, just really tuned in to what I consider necessary for survival.”