Sold To The Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance (17 page)

“Then, you should have seen how fast three of the darker wolves took off for your cabin, killing a wolf still coming up the lane as they went. That was when one of the other darker wolves shifted into human form, came up here to the cabin, and knocked on the door, asking if Lily and I were okay.

“His name was Brady, and...well, I hope he comes back later to ask if I'm okay again. Or maybe I'll take a little walk later and casually try to run into him. Men around here are a little different quality than the ones back in Greenleaf, aren't they, Ro?"

I couldn't argue with that. They were of such a different quality that a young woman could find herself in love with two of them at the same time not long after arriving in the village.

Skye and I continued chatting, about the events of the morning, the events of the previous evening, and the events that had happened since she'd been abducted by the Bloodfurs. It was an experience she appeared to be bouncing back from just fine.

I glanced down at the grossness of my shirt, desperate for a shower.
 

Seeming to read my mind, Skye began ushering me inside. "As bad ass as you look right now, with blood from a wolf you clobbered with a fireplace poker all over your shirt, I can tell you probably just want to get changed."

For the rest of the morning, I didn't really do much except rest and regain a little strength, both physical and mental. That afternoon, while Skye, never one to waste much time as far as men were concerned, took a stroll down the lane in search of Brady, Flora and I took a very energetic Lily out to the backyard to play.

We watched her quietly for the most part, chatting occasionally about this and that, but mostly seeming to be lost in our own thoughts. Neither of us brought up the subject of what Grayson and Chase had argued about back at my cabin, or the two cents Flora had thrown into the discussion.

Over the next several days, I barely saw Chase and Grayson, except for one brief lunch, a brief dinner, and then a brief lovemaking session after that brief dinner. Then, they'd headed out on patrol again, trying to keep tabs on yet another pack of enemy wolves who'd moved into the area. I missed them both terribly.

They both seemed to have gotten over their spat about Grayson's idea to move the pack, or at least tried to set it aside. They didn't appear to be talking much, not that I was really spending enough time with them to really tell, though they weren’t fighting, either. During our single hasty lovemaking session, they both "spent time" with me, sharing me as usual, without either of them revealing the possessiveness vibes I'd picked up on the other day.

Flora told me that, from what Hunter had been able to gather, the two of them had agreed to not speak about Grayson’s moving plans until the threat of the new enemy pack moving through the area had passed. "But then...there will just be a new threat, you know. Always is," Flora had said before heaving a sigh.

I couldn't say that I wasn't liking the sense of peace and calm that had come to the village since the most recent fight, though at the same time, I found that it gave me a bit too much time to think about when exactly I was finally going to tell Chase and Grayson about my deception. With both of them so busy and preoccupied, there was never really a good time. Though, to me, the timing was off since the first second I'd made up my mind to tell them. Regardless, despite how much I was dreading it, I knew that no matter what, I was going to have to tell them very soon, no matter what kind of a time it was.

However, when a week or so had passed since the fight, Chase and Grayson stunned me by coming home early one night, saying that they needed to talk to me. Both of them wore expressions so serious, I immediately felt sick.

With his coal gray eyes glinting in light from two tall red taper candles on the table, Grayson frowned at me. "We think you're hiding something from us. And we think we know exactly what it is."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Glancing from Grayson to Chase, I laughed in a way that could only have been described as
nervously
. "What do the two of you think I'm hiding from you?"

Figures
, I thought. It just figured that after all the hours I'd spent agonizing about coming clean to them about my deception, they'd found out for themselves. Found out, or more likely, had been
told
.
But by who?
I wondered. Only one person on earth knew about my deception, and that was Rose, via her psychic gifts. I couldn't imagine what reason she’d had for telling them. I also didn't have a gut feeling that she really would. She was my friend, and we'd visited several times since she'd saved Skye and me from Richard, the Bloodfur's alpha, by turning him into a literal fireball.

During our recent visits, Rose hadn't acted at all strangely, or made any indication that she might tell Chase and Grayson about my little secret. In fact, when I'd brought up the subject once, briefly, in passing, she'd insisted that she was going to stay out of it. She'd said that it was something I had to deal with on my own, still refusing to tell me what she thought was such a funny "joke" about my situation. She'd said she'd wait for that "until we can both laugh about it."

“Though in the meantime, if there are any developments, I'll be sure to clue you in," she'd said.  I'd had no idea what she meant. I still didn't.

Now, standing in front of Chase and Grayson, quickly thinking over my most recent visit with Rose, I was almost positive she wouldn't have told them. While Chase and Grayson exchanged glances, letting my question about what they thought I was hiding hang in the air, I wondered if it was possible that Rose wasn't the only one in the village with psychic gifts.

Just when I thought I couldn't take the awkward silence anymore, Grayson finally spoke in a low, quiet rumble, his serious expression softening a bit. "We know you've been hiding some unhappiness and dissatisfaction lately. Don't try to deny it, Rowan."

I didn't dare. I couldn't have anyway. I was far too busy trying to hold back a deep sigh of relief. Not to mention that though they hadn't thought I was hiding what I was actually hiding, Grayson's assertion wasn't too darn far off the mark. I
had
been hiding some unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

Of course, much of that stemmed from my deception and my infertility and my general anxiety in regards to those things, but a little of it was because I'd simply been missing Chase and Grayson while they'd been so frequently gone the past week or so.

Grayson, who'd put his large, long-fingered hands on my shoulders, now moved them to the small of my back and pulled me close. "We know you've been hiding some unhappiness and dissatisfaction because we've neglected you lately while we've been dealing with all the enemy wolves. You probably haven't wanted to tell us because you know that our work is important and we're just trying to keep everyone safe. But we've seen hints of your unhappiness on your face. The few moments when we've been able to spend time with you lately, you've seemed a little quiet, and you've had the tiniest little sad, anxious forehead crease that you might not even be aware that you get, but Chase and I have noticed.

“We've been concerned about you. We know that you've probably been missing us just as much as we've been missing you, and we also know that you're probably just as anxious to make a baby as we are. So, it's very understandable that you've been unhappy because of our absences lately.

“We're supposed to be working on getting you pregnant, and here we've been gone all the time. We can imagine it's left you more than a bit frustrated. Especially considering Flora's recent pregnancy news, and also considering that Skye and Brady now seem to be making a very concerted effort to try for a baby."

40

They were making a "very concerted effort," to say the least. From the day they'd met, they'd been almost inseparable during the times when Brady wasn't out on patrol. After only a few days, Skye had moved right into his cabin at his urging. She said they were falling in love, and judging by the looks of adoration they frequently gave each other, I certainly believed it.

They were also already busy making plans for a future together, a future they desperately hoped would include a baby. Despite the fact that Skye's medical tests back in Greenleaf had supposedly revealed her to be "completely infertile," she and Brady believed that she had to at least be "possibly fertile" because Richard's scenter wolf scenting her as at least some level of fertile was the whole reason she'd been abducted in the first place.

Therefore, they believed that a pregnancy at some point was at least possible. Little did they know it was actually "highly probable," considering the fact that Skye wasn't really just "possibly fertile"; she'd been deemed "completely fertile." Which of course, only I knew.

With his lightly tanned skin even more golden than usual in the glow from the tall red taper candles on the table, Chase stepped closer to Grayson and me and stroked the side of my face. "We both realize that our little disagreement in front of you after you and Flora attacked the wolf in here the other day, probably upset you, too, and led to some of your recent unhappiness, and we're both very sorry about that. Emotions were running high, and we shouldn't have done anything to upset you further after what you'd just been through. So, we've agreed to shelve that disagreement in regards to the long-term future of the pack for right now."

Grayson gave Chase the very briefest of sidelong glances, his coal gray eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. "Though we will be revisiting that issue at some point in the near future."

Chase clenched his strong, square jaw for just a moment before responding. "Yes. At some point in the near future. But not tonight. Not tomorrow. Probably not even the next day. Because the enemy wolves are at bay for now, and Rowan needs some serious love and attention."

His final several words couldn't help but make me fight a smile for some strange reason. Probably because, despite the fact that they were true, it amused me how bluntly he'd spoken them. However, I was glad he had. Sometimes it amazed me how well Chase, and Grayson, could intuit my needs.

"I
do
need some serious love and attention."

Now fighting a smile himself, Chase stroked the side of my face again. "Is that a fact?"

I nodded with a few butterflies beginning to flap their wings in my stomach. "It is."

Grayson moved his hands from the small of my back to my rear. "That's interesting. Interesting, because you have here two men, just dying to give you some serious love and attention and make this night all about you. We also haven't fully explored everything in our little 'treasure chest' from Ashcrest yet."

I wrapped my arms around his strong neck, gazing into his dark gray eyes. "So, let's explore, then."

He began caressing my rear through my jeans, running his hands along the fullness of my twin globes. "Not so fast. You haven't even had any dinner yet, and Chase and I intend to cook for you while you take a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Though,
relaxing
might not be the exact right word. It might actually be more of a
frustrating
bubble bath, since you'll be wearing three strategically-placed Ticklers during it. And just like the first night we met, you don't have a choice about this."

That was fine with me. I kind of liked being forced to wear Ticklers without having a choice about it. There was something about the accompanying feelings of helplessness and vulnerability that seemed to intensify my excitement.

I wasn't completely unaware that I was letting a perfect opportunity to tell Chase and Grayson about my fertility deception slip by. This was an opportunity to talk to the two of them, together, when they had enough time to listen, and when I had enough time to attempt to explain myself and apologize. This is what I'd been waiting for, though dreading at the same time.

But now that the time was finally here, thoughts of coming clean had been pushed to the back of my mind. I supposed I was too greedy and selfish. I always wanted just one more night with them both. I was too in love to ever be ready to let them go, or have them let
me
go, as I knew, would probably be likely when the time came. Also, for all my bravado in taking on wolves, I supposed I was too afraid. Too afraid to tell the men I loved the truth. I would've rather taken on ten shifter wolves at once.

Just one more night
, I told myself.
There will be another time to tell them again soon.

Soon I was standing naked right there in the dining area, having Ticklers applied to my nipples and my most sensitive spot.

Once they were on, Chase pulled me close, something already quite long and hard straining against the fabric of his jeans. "I have half a mind to take you right here, right now."

I realized I wanted him to. I'd already become a bit turned on when Grayson had been holding me against the front of his body earlier. Now the feel of Chase's pole combined with the action of the Ticklers, was making me even a bit more turned on. I was to the point that I didn't want to wait for lovemaking until after my bath and after dinner.

Pressing myself against his hardness, I looked deeply into Chase's jewel-green eyes. "Do it, then. Take me right here, right now. Take me over the dinner table, if you're not too bashful."

I knew damn well that when it came to lovemaking activities,
bashful
was just about the very last thing Chase was. However, to my surprise, it didn't seem like he was going to accept my challenge.

He very gently pushed me away from his body, away from his thick rod, which I was quickly becoming desperate to feel inside of me. "No. Not yet. You may protest, but Grayson and I both know you like to be teased a bit first. You like to be worked up a bit first. Not to mention that you need some dinner in order to have energy to make use of something we're going to pull out of the 'treasure chest' while you're in your bath."

"What is it?"

The edges of Chase's full, delectable mouth twitched with amusement, and he made me wait a long moment before he responded.

"All I can say is something that might be maddeningly vague to you. All I can say is that it's something to help increase your pleasure. Which is something that is of the utmost importance to Grayson and me, and would be still, even if increasing your pleasure wasn’t something that might aid in achieving a pregnancy."

"But you won't even give me a little hint about what new thing the two of you are going to pull out of the 'treasure chest?'"

Chase suddenly picked me up like a baby, holding me to his chiseled chest. "Nope. You might hear some hints while you're relaxing in your bubble bath, which is where I'll be taking you right now."

While I pretended to pout, he carried me into the bathroom, drew a warm bubble bath, and put me in it. Secretly, I was a little pleased he hadn't taken me over the table when I'd challenged him to. He was right that I
did
like being teased a bit. I did like a little time spent squirming in anticipation. Which I was definitely beginning to do, on account of the Ticklers now gently undulating over my nipples and my now-throbbing, tingling sensitive bud.

I also wouldn't mind hearing a few hints about what new 'pleasure product' from Ashcrest was going to be a part of our activities that evening, as Chase had said I might, as strange as
hearing
a few hints seemed to me. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd be hearing, and really, I could hardly even imagine.

The only thing I could think of was that I might be hearing possible buzzing noises from some sort of new vibrator toy, a thought that nearly made me laugh for some reason. In case my guess was correct, I wondered if Chase and Grayson would be simply turning the toy on periodically while I was in the bath, or if they'd simply leave it on. Both scenarios seemed funny and strange at the same time.

But soon, while I sank back in the bubbly warm water, it became clear that the hints I was going to be hearing wouldn't be coming in the form of buzzing noises, at least not of the kind I'd thought. I began hearing various pounding and tapping noises, sounds that made me think some sort of construction project was underway, right in my living room.