“Kelly, I don’t think you understand.” Zack spoke quietly.
“No, I don’t. Zack, do you love me?”
Silence filled the truck. Kelly had never meant to ask such a question in a car, for God’s sake. But these two had pushed her past her limits. Even her beast had had enough.
“Yes.” His simple answer thrilled her.
“You don’t have to ask me,” Ace added. “I’ve been in love with you from day one.”
“And I love you too.” She smiled at Ace before turning her frown on the both of them.
“But I’m tired of the way you two are treating each other. You were friends long before I came into the picture. So if I’m not the problem --”
“You’re not,” they both assured her at the same time.
“Then you need to get your heads out of your asses and fix this. My beast is going nuts.
I can’t handle any more worrying. I have a bad feeling if you can’t solve this problem between you, the next time you’re called to handle a problem in the field, your attention won’t be at its best, either. You’ll be a danger to your teammates and yourselves until you settle this.”
“Kelly --” Zack began.
“No, she’s right.” Ace shocked her and Zack by agreeing with her. “Have a nice night with the gang. Make sure you sit next to Caitlyn or Doc. Not any of the others,” Ace warned, his eyes glinting with menace. “I’ll fix this, baby. Go have a good time, and we’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Zack scowled.
“Okay.” Kelly kissed Ace, a reward for stepping forward to do the right thing. She glared at Zack. “Don’t screw this up. You’re messing with our family.”
His frown softened, and he sighed. “Go have fun,” he said gruffly. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
They waited until she met Caitlyn by the door. Ace exited the car to move into the front seat, and they left.
“What was that about?” Caitlyn asked as she met Kelly.
An emotional tug-of-war churned inside Kelly. She’d just declared her love, had it returned, and then sent the loves of her life away. She burst into tears.
“Kelly! Come on, what’s wrong?”
“Those two have me pulling my hair out already. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?” Caitlyn stared, shell-shocked.
“Not now.” Though the way she and her mates had been going at it, anything was possible. She’d never once thought of using protection, when by rights, she’d always demanded it of her partners. What did that mean? Satisfaction dwelled deep inside her, and she knew to blame her beast for such disregard.
“Oh.” Caitlyn sounded disappointed. “I’d like to be an aunt. Not a mother, not yet. But an aunt would be nice.”
Kelly laughed and dried her eyes, her emotions vacillating with the drop of a hat.
“Sorry for being so weepy. It’s just that Zack and Ace have been at odds for too long. I love them both, and it’s killing me that there’s so much tension in the house.”
“Speaking of houses…” Caitlyn wound an arm around Kelly’s shoulders. “Come on in.
Doc is dying to talk to you. And I’d like you to see some of the changes we’re making.”
“Changes?” It was then Kelly noted the large commercial trash bin on the side of the house.
“Yep.” Caitlyn glanced at the bin. “We’re expanding the grounds. While I don’t mind living in the house, I think too many of us mated chicks around the others without girlfriends is going to make them crazy. We’re building a few houses on the compound. With thirty-some acres, Doc has room to spare. I can’t wait to do some real decorating! Because honestly, Roane’s room is less than a challenge.”
Kelly couldn’t help sharing in her friend’s enthusiasm, when a sudden shiver chased its way up her spine. She stopped at the doorway to the house, unnerved.
“Kelly?”
“Never mind.” She shrugged it off. “Just my imagination.” That something’s out there isn’t friendly. As if anything could avoid detection on Doc’s property, with all the security around the place. “Now, tell me what Diego has for dinner and about these plans to decorate.
I’m all ears.”
As Zack drove them back to Kelly’s, he felt a surge of relief. It had taken a stubborn woman to do it, but she’d finally broken through Ace’s hard head. Maybe now the jackass would admit the problem. He’d been avoiding Zack for days. Why not just tell the truth?
Zack would have, but he hadn’t wanted to put Kelly in the middle of their squabble. With her gone, it was best to get it out in the open. He wasn’t surprised she’d felt the stress.
He couldn’t sleep, didn’t have much of an appetite, and felt as if something inside him was dying. Ace, from what he could tell, didn’t feel the same way. He still laughed and flirted outrageously with Kelly. And he had no trouble taking her aside to fuck her brains out at every available opportunity, as if by doing so, he could escape what his beast forced him to accept when changed.
They arrived at the house in silence. Ace preceded Zack inside. Zack locked the door behind him and turned around…into Ace’s fist.
The blow shocked him.
Ace took advantage of the fact and knocked him down with two more punches and a knee to the balls that had him groaning in agony. Trying to catch his breath, Zack curled into a ball, cognizant of little around him but the excruciating ache between his thighs.
Before he could catch his breath, Ace changed and cradled him in his arms.
“Sorry about that, but you’ve been asking for it for days.”
Zack was going to beat the shit out of him as soon as he could breathe again.
Ace carried him into his bedroom and tossed him onto the bed. He ripped Zack’s clothes off, then shoved Zack’s arms and legs apart, staring down at him with hunger in his eyes. “You’re acting like a shit, and I’m tired of it.”
“You’re tired of it?” Zack managed to say, lacking the strength to transform. For once, his inner beast remained quiet, shocking him as much as Ace’s attack had. Thank God the pain between his legs finally faded.
“Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll fix it. But no more moping around. You’re acting like a goddamn girl. And don’t tell Kelly I said that.”
Zack only heard the accusation that he was like a woman, a statement too close to the hurtful teasing he’d imagined before crashing his car. Ace grabbed his wrists on either side of his head and held him easily in place. Fury pulsed, but still, Zack’s beast refused to emerge.
He belatedly caught the scent of lust in the air, his senses not as keen in his normal state as they were when changed.
“Let me take care of you. Then you can ream me for assault.” Ace chuckled and leaned forward, pressing his rough chest against Zack’s. He effectively pinned Zack in place with his massive body.
Having never dealt with a changed Ace when not in the same form, Zack didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t budge the strength of the hands that dwarfed his, nor could he move Ace off him.
To his further shock, he watched as Ace licked a trail from his collarbone down his belly to his cock. Hard at the first touch of Ace’s mouth, Zack squirmed to get closer or get loose -- he wasn’t sure of which at this point. “No. Don’t let your beast rule you now.” He tried warning Ace. “I know how much you hate this.” Which made it so unbearable for Zack to express his love with his mate time and time again, only to know how much Ace despised their sharing of physical affection.