Surrounded by Secrets (2 page)

He was in serious trouble. His dick had been hard all day, and the knowledge that he’d see her tonight only made matters worse. He’d jacked off in the shower. Twice. The first time he’d come so fast he’d gotten dizzy. The second time took much longer, and the reward was one of the best hand-job orgasms he’d ever delivered himself. Not that his cock was sated.

He pushed open the door, and the muffled chatter and laughter among his family died. Fuck, he hated the weary looks on his sisters-in-law’s faces, and the mixed stares he got from his brothers and father. If he was going to get through this night with any dignity, he’d need a drink. Now.

“Hi, everybody,” he mumbled as he made his way to the sideboard where the scotch was housed.

“Good evening, son. How did it go today with the Caldwell lady?”

Jack poured his drink and sipped before answering, “Interesting.”

“How so?” Josh asked.

Jack turned to face the judges, jury, and executioners. “She complained about everything. Apparently we don’t know shit about the business we’re in. Go figure.” He glared at Josh as he took another drink.

“You’d already assumed it’d be a difficult situation. How did you handle your urge to mate? She’s unmated.” Ariel stepped toward him as she asked, and he lost a bit of his stubbornness. He wondered if it’d always be like that between the two of them, he the monster to her generosity.

“Not bad. I had, er, moments of difficulties focusing on the job.” He shrugged and looked away, not able to make eye contact. “She’s a beautiful woman,” he murmured.

“She’s a bitch,” Toby snapped.

“Toby!” Krista screeched.

“What? She is. She wormed her way into our business like she has a reason to be here. If Dad wasn’t worried about her screaming discrimination to the authorities, he wouldn’t have agreed to this.”

Jack’s gaze snapped to Toby. He couldn’t identify the strange urge that bubbled up inside him at Toby’s insult. He just knew it didn’t sit right with him. At. Fucking. All.

“Now, Toby. That’s not true. We do need help around here, and she’s fully capable. You better treat her with respect, son. I won’t have it any other way.”

Toby growled and turned to his mate. Krista stroked his cheek and whispered to him. Jack watched him put his forehead against hers and nod. Although Toby’s words were for his mate, everyone in the room heard his apology.

As Ariel took another step toward Jack, Rob stepped up to her. He didn’t blame his brother for being overprotective.

“You’re attracted to her,” Ariel mused.

He sighed. “I just said she was beautiful.”

Mikaela walked over, rubbing her baby bump. “Oh my God, you are. You’re usually all, ‘I’m claiming the woman. It’s my turn. Me Tarzan. She Jane.’ But now you’re actually a little nervous.” She giggled. “This is priceless.”

Even through his irritation, he couldn’t help but crack a smile at his pregnant in-law. “I am not like that.”

“Oh, yes you are. You pound your chest and everything. I’m surprised you don’t swing from the branches.”

“I may climb a tree or two, but I do not swing on anything,” Jack said as he took another swig of his scotch.

“If you’re attracted to her, maybe one of us should shadow her instead of you,” Josh said. He wrapped his arms around his pregnant wife, feeling his baby, and dropped his chin onto her shoulder as he looked at Jack.

Over his dead body would he allow any of his brothers to take his place. Lillian was his, damn it. Well, not
his
his, but his responsibility, he immediately corrected.

“Look, I’m taking my medicine like a good little boy. I managed to make it through the day without forcing her to do anything the stubborn little vixen didn’t want to, and I’m sure I’ll make it just fine tonight, too.”

“Tonight?”

Jack wasn’t sure who all had asked, but it seemed that one word had echoed throughout the dining room. Shit.

“Um, yeah, we’re going for drinks tonight. She wanted to celebrate her first real job outside of her family business.”

“And you’re going?” Rob asked. Why was he smiling?

Jack growled as he stomped over to the bottle of scotch and refreshed his drink. “She didn’t give me much of a choice.” He took a drink and faced his family. “I tried to bow out, but she wouldn’t have it.” Another swig. “Kept coming up with reasons why I should that trumped the lame ones I was dishing out.” Another. He pitched his voice higher and mimicked Lillian when he said, “‘Don’t be a douche.’ ‘I’m not being a douche. I just think it’s a bad idea to see coworkers outside of work.’ ‘You’re just trying to get me to quit. It won’t work, big guy. Quit being a chickenshit.’” He stared at his family in awe. “Me, a chickenshit?” Yeah, he was, and had been one around his family of late, but he hated Lillian thinking of him like that.

Everyone in the room was staring at him as if he’d grown a third eye and sprouted wings.

“What?” Jack snapped.

“Ha, you’re in some serious shit, my brotha,” Rob said, chuckling.

Jack groaned as he downed the rest of his scotch.

“Looks like you’re getting a head start on drinking. Keep that up, and you won’t be able to drive,” Toby said.

He laughed without humor. “Oh, she thought of that, too. She’s having a cab pick us up.”

Ariel reached out to touch his arm, and his anger deflated. “I think this is good for you, Jack. You need to interact with women. You are free to leave this land and not have to worry about taking an unwilling mate.”

Only because of Ariel was that true. Up until she’d arrived, the unmated Woods men could not be around an unmated woman. If that were to happen, he’d take her against her will. They were mountain lion shifters with a deadly urge to mate. But as long as Jack stayed medicated, it wouldn’t be a problem.

And he knew he was out of excuses.

“It’s more than that,” he said as he placed his empty glass on the table.

“I know.” Ariel nodded. “You don’t have to say it. But believe me when I tell you, it’s not us you have to convince.”

She knew he was terrified, and she was telling him that he needed to trust in himself. He didn’t know if he could do that. But if only for her, if only for the pain he almost caused her, he’d try.

Jack nodded at Ariel, somber in his resolve.

“Dude, you could so get lucky!” Rob said, breaking the newly found tension.

“Mmm-hmm. Just think, man, you could get some without making a commitment. No-strings-attached fun.” Josh wagged his brows.

“Hey! Are you saying you wanted something like that?” Mikaela asked as she twisted in Josh’s arms.

Oh shit, her emotions had been on a roller coaster. Jack almost felt sorry for Josh having to endure his pregnant wife’s mood swings. But then the anger in her eyes was betrayed by the quiver of her lip.

“Oh, kitten.” Josh crushed her to him. “You are my everything. Never doubt that,” he mumbled as he kissed the top of her head.

“I think you should have fun,” Krista said, taking the focus off Mikaela. “But you better make sure you read her right. If she’s not giving you any signals, you better keep it zipped. The last thing I want to deal with is a sexual harassment suit.”

At that, Mikaela gasped and pulled away from Josh to face Jack. “She’s right, Jack. You better be careful. She’s an employee now.”

Hell, he knew that. But for all his toughness, he hated seeing a woman cry. Mikaela’s lashes were soaked, so he had no desire to defend himself. He just nodded at her.

“Gawd, I hate being pregnant! It’s been like a thousand months already.” Mikaela wiped at the wetness on her face. “Where’s Jeffery with the food? I’m starving.”

Josh chuckled. “It hasn’t been quite that long, kitten.”

“I’ll go see what’s taking so long,” Thomas said at the same time. He turned toward the kitchen.

Smart man.
Feed the pregnant woman
.

With the first dish that came out, people started toward the table. Mikaela bolted. Since Josh was momentarily free, Jack grabbed his arm. He’d put off this conversation long enough. He needed Josh’s thoughts on the photo of their mother. He couldn’t discuss it here, but he could at least get the ball rolling.

“Hold up a sec.”

Josh turned to face him. “Yeah?”

“Um, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. Can we meet up in the morning?”

Josh frowned. “Does this have anything to do with Lillian? Are you really worried about—”

“No, no. Nothing like that. I just need to run some things by you. In private.”

Josh chuckled. “You mean ditch my wife?”

Jack smiled. “No, man. Just in private. Feed her a lot for breakfast, and we can chat while she’s napping.”

Josh groaned theatrically. “But her morning nap is my
me
time. It’s when I get to find my balls and reattach them.” They both laughed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, bro.”

He and Josh took their seats. Mikaela was stuffing her face, and everybody was chatting. But Jack couldn’t stomach the idea of eating right now. He filled his glass with the scotch on the table. He wasn’t normally a lush. But tonight he needed all the courage he could get.

Artificial or not.

* * * *

Lillian tugged on her dress as she poured another glass of wine. The hottie with the body hadn’t gotten to see her sexy red panties and bra, but she’d traded them out for her black set after her shower. Maybe he’d see the red ones tomorrow. She’d also ditched the jeans in favor of something more provocative. If this dress were cut any lower, she’d get a ticket for indecent exposure.

She stumbled a little when she turned too quickly. She was only on her second glass of wine. Or was it her third? She couldn’t remember. But she hadn’t eaten much today either and had worked her ass off outside all day. If Jack was hungry, she could heat up the chili she’d made the other night, and they both could eat.

Because she had no intentions of them leaving her house.

Nope, that was just an excuse to get Jack over here. She figured he’d be more comfortable with the thought of going out in public, rather than staying in, where it was private. But public wasn’t conducive with getting her groove on.

She heard a knock at her door, and she smiled.
Showtime.

Lillian walked to the door and opened it gently. But the air still locked in her lungs. Damn, Jack was hot! Tight jeans, loosely fitted shirt. Blue. Matched his sexy eyes.

His gaze went right to her breast, and she didn’t miss when his tongue peeked out to wet his lips.

Then his gaze shot to hers, and he cleared his throat.

“Good evening.” He nodded at her as if this was a formal meeting among colleagues. Poor thing. He was in for a rude awakening.

“Come on in.” She turned and left him at the door. “I haven’t had a chance to eat. I was just going to heat up some chili.”

The door shut behind her, so she figured he’d stepped in.

“We can grab something to eat while we’re out.”

“No need. This will only take a second.”

She heard a low oath from his direction and smiled to herself as she pulled out the bowl of chili from the fridge and dumped it into a pot on the stove.

“I have whiskey, beer, and wine. Make yourself a drink,” she called out as she started stirring.

“No, thank you.”

She almost jumped at how close he was. She hadn’t heard him come into the kitchen.

Lillian turned toward the side as she continued stirring. “How about a game to kick off the evening? Grab the whiskey and a couple of shot glasses out of that cabinet over there.” She pointed to her left.

“I thought we were leaving,” Jack mumbled as he walked over to where she’d directed him, but it wasn’t really a question, so she wasn’t going to comment. Before long, he’d figure it out on his own.

She turned the heat to low and walked to the table where he’d taken his seat. “We each take turns saying something truthful about ourselves. If the other disagrees with that statement, he or she takes a shot.”

He frowned at her, but after a few seconds, he nodded. Jeez, good thing she was making all the moves here. Otherwise, she’d never get to see this man naked. It was like asking a stone statue to scoot over. She hoped all her efforts would be worth it in the end.
You better be good in the sack, big guy
.

“I’ll start.” She picked up the bottle, poured two shots, and pushed one toward him. “I have a period.”

Jack huffed. “You know damn well I don’t have a menstrual cycle. That’s cheating.” He picked up his shot glass and tossed it back.

Lillian refilled his glass and tsked. “I never said the truth could easily be applied to both parties.”

“All right then. I was born a man.”

Lillian chuckled as she picked up her shot glass. “Good one.” The liquid burned on the way down, but she managed not to wince. “I’m wearing a dress.”

“Fuck,” he groaned and picked up his glass to shoot his liquor. “I’m wearing boots.”

She rolled her eyes and took her shot before spouting off another truth she knew didn’t apply to him.

Lillian wasn’t sure how long this little game continued, the chili long ago turned off. And now, she had to shut one eye to pour the next round of shots to keep from spilling alcohol all over her table. If they kept this up, they’d both pass out before she’d reaped the benefits of this little get-together.

“I’m not horny,” she confessed as she stared into Jack’s bloodshot eyes.

He stared back, the heat in his eyes from earlier today roaring to life. Lillian felt her heartbeat quicken as she waited for his response. And after what felt like an eternity, Jack let go of his shot glass and moved his hand away, showing her with his actions that he was horny, too.

“My dick has been hard for you all day.”

She took a drink because she didn’t have a penis and clumsily filled her glass.

“My panties are soaked through, and my nipples ache for you to suck them.”

“Jesus,” he breathed, taking the shot quickly before standing.

Lillian’s legs were having problems working, but she managed to stand before he made his way to her.

She had no other warning.