Authors: Hazel Gower
Zeck’s arm came around her shoulders. “I’m looking
forward to a movie night tonight. I’m happy to have two weeks off school for
Christmas and New Year even more.”
Travis came up beside her. “Yeah, I need the time
off. You know how my family gets over Christmas. They all come together at my
parents’ house and become crazy.” Travis glanced down at her. “You are still
coming to Christmas lunch? My family is on their best behavior when you’re
around. My mother loves you like you were her own daughter.”
Over the last few years since her brothers had
started bringing girlfriends for Christmas lunch and dinner, Jess had learned
to stay away. After having a couple of girlfriends tease her and
be all-round bitches, causing problems and
making things uncomfortable, Jess made sure that at Christmas she was scarcely
at her house. For the last two years had gone to Travis’s house. Jess loved
Travis’s parents. His mother spoiled her rotten.
“Of course, I love Christmas at your house. Isn’t
your sister due for your second niece or nephew any day?”
“Yeah, any day now.
Mom will
take little Ben when she goes into labor. I hope Tessa lasts until after
Christmas. This year Ben is old enough to know what Santa is and enjoy all that
goes with Christmas, but if the baby brother or sister comes before Christmas
all the attention will be on the baby.”
Travis was so sweet. Leaning up she kissed Travis’s
cheek. “You’re such a softy. Ben is lucky to have you for an uncle.”
Travis turned red, and Zeck laughed.
“Softy.
Pussy.
They all sound the
same to me.” Jess rolled her eyes at Zeck’s jabs to Travis.
Boys
.
Travis punched Zeck, and the banter flew back and
forth.
****
Brandon was struggling. He needed to tell Jezebel
what he was. He needed her with him. He’d only survived this long because she
spent her afternoons with him. They talked and explored each other’s bodies.
Last night he hadn’t got to have his hour or so sleep with her thanks to family
games night. Last night she’d said she was spending tonight with her friends, and
he’d even received a message to remind him not to pick her up.
The problem was he was too close to breaking point
not to see her. Brandon had been trying hard to woo her and get to know her the
best he could before he told her what he was and told her of the other part of
his life. Before he told her that there were creatures in this world that were
straight out of her worst nightmare.
Brandon knew Jess missed her friends, and they
weren’t happy with the time she was spending with him and neglecting them. He
thought if he picked her up from school and took her around to her friends he
would get some time with her, enough that the small time could calm his lion
and soothe his human side. He could spend the rest of his night training and
fighting. His brothers Carl and Tyler were coming hunting with him tonight.
He stood by his car waiting eagerly to see his mate.
Brandon was at least grateful that it was Christmas, and from today Jezebel was
on a two week holiday. When he saw Jezebel he clenched his fists and took
several calming deep breaths. Jezebel stood between her two friends Travis and
Zeck laughing. She reached up and kissed Travis on the cheek. Brandon almost
went over and ripped Travis to shreds. His lion went berserk that their mate had
kissed another man. He let his senses reach out and listened to their
conversation as they got closer. Jezebel didn’t notice him, and he dared not
move for fear of what he would do.
“I’ll take you. I love watching a horror film with
you the first time. You jump and are terrified of everything. Zeck and I were
going to go this weekend. We thought you wouldn’t have time with all the time
you’re spending with the Pride guy.”
Jezebel sighed. “Brandon. Travis, you know his name.
You were the one who left me with him first.”
“I regret that.” They paused at Travis’s car. “It
should have been me who had you at home with me, in my bed snuggling and being
all lovely-
dovey
.” Travis wiggled his eyebrows at
Jezebel, and she laughed whacking him on the chest. “I can be big and macho like
him.” Travis winked at her and pulled her to him. “Mine.
You
my mate.”
Fuming at the scene before him Brandon stepped from
around a car and yanked Jezebel out of Travis’s hold and held her against him.
“Argh, Jess, we’ll wait in the car for you,” Zeck
said and pulled Travis with him.
Brandon glared after Travis. He knew Travis wasn’t
joking. Jezebel might think he was, but Brandon knew better. He could smell the
lust coming of the guy towards his mate.
“Brandon, didn’t you get my message?” Jezebel leaned
back into his hold, and her hands wrapped around his arms that were locked
around her waist. He was happy she didn’t try to get out of his hold. Right now
he needed her, her smell, the touch of her skin against his and the soothing
sound of her voice. “I’m hanging out with my friends tonight.” She turned in
his arms. “We’re having a movie night.”
“I didn’t realize you were going straight from
school. I thought I’d get the chance to see my girl before she spent some time
with her friends.”
“Aren’t you sick of me yet? I’ve spent some time
with you every day since meeting you.”
He tilted her
head up and leaned down to brush his lips over hers. “Are you getting sick of
me?” Brandon wondered if she was tiring of him, that he was too much for her.
Some humans couldn’t handle shifter relationships. He’d heard stories of humans
leaving their mates because they weren’t shifters and the bond wasn’t as
strong. The shifter had then gone crazy and been put down. It was a reason why
shifters didn’t want human mates, and it was rare that it happened.
“No. not at all.”
She
blushed. “I messaged you so you wouldn’t come because I knew if I heard your
voice or you forgot and came to pick me up I’d change my mind.”
He groaned as she said just the right thing. Brandon
lifted her up so he could take her mouth to his. He needed to taste her.
Jezebel wrapped her arms around his neck, and her tongue came out to meet his.
His cock became rock hard, and he was eager to take her home and satisfy the
both of them.
A loud car horn had him pulling away from her and
wishing they weren’t in the school car park. He snarled as he noticed the
honking coming from the car Zeck and Travis sat in. Travis held his hand over
the horn.
Jezebel let out a loud sigh, and he slid her down
his body. “I better go. Thanks for coming and seeing me.”
Jezebel walked away from him, but before she was too
far away he strolled to her and stopped her. “I’ll pick you up from your
parents’ tomorrow morning. I have to talk to you. There is something I have to
tell you and show you.” Jezebel’s eyes avoided him, and her teeth nibbled on
her bottom lip.
Crap
. He’d made her
worry. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry. I see you tomorrow.
Have fun.” He kissed her forehead and stood watching as she walked to Travis’s
car and got in, and they drove away.
Brandon didn’t know how long he stood in the almost
empty car park calming his lion and willing his boner to go down. He couldn’t
hold back telling her anymore. He needed Jezebel with him. His soul was heavy,
and it was getting harder and harder for him to control his lion.
Walking to his car he got in and drove over to his
parents’ to meet his brothers and organize where they would go hunting tonight.
****
Jess awoke slowly snuggling into Travis’s bed. His arm
lay around her, and she looked to the floor to see Zeck
snoring
his head off.
Jess had missed this. They
hadn’t had a movie sleepover in a while. With all the drama with Sasha and this
last week with Brandon, they hadn’t been having too much time together. Her
birthday last weekend had been the first week in months they’d been alone just
the three of them for a weekend. God, it felt a lot longer than a week.
Had she really been with Brandon for only a week?
Wow, she’d been with a Pride man for a whole week. She remembered what he said
to her at the school and closed her eyes. She hoped he didn’t want to talk to
her so he could break up with her. But he had said he wanted to show her
something also. He hadn’t acted like he wanted to break up with her. Maybe she
should give him a rest from her. She could spend her weekend with Travis and
Zeck. Sitting up she glanced at the clock. It was early. She eased out of
Travis’s hold and went to her bag.
Jess
debated if she should call Brandon or just message him. Messaging him was
safer. Getting her phone out Jess messaged Brandon.
“Spending
weekend with friends.
Will see you Sunday night.”
Glancing around the room at her two best friends she
fought with herself before she hit send. Time without Brandon would be good for
her. She was falling hard for him. Not only was he amazing in bed, but he cared
for her and was very affectionate. And she secretly loved his possessive, dominating
way with her.
Putting the phone in the bag before she phoned him
and told him not to worry about her message and that she’d see him later today
she got back in bed and closed her eyes. She should be tired. They had stayed
up watching horror movies until the early hours of the morning. Jess snuggled
deeper into the warmth of the bed and blanked her mind.
Travis groaned beside her and pulled her to him. Her
eyes snapped opened, and she lay stiff in his arms. Jess could feel his morning
delight. After a while, when he didn’t move, she berated herself and relaxed. This
was Travis, and he was her best friend. He would never do anything to her.
Travis wasn’t interested in her like that. Zeck snorted in his sleep, and Jess
giggled.
“Would it be rude if I chucked something at him?”
Travis grumbled.
Jess turned and looked at Travis, and raised her
eyebrow when his hands didn’t let her go.
“Maybe a pillow,
but nothing harder.
The snorting is funny though.”
Travis grinned down at her. “What would you sleep on
if I chucked your pillows at him to shut him up?”
“Hey, why would you use my pillows?” She grabbed her
pillow and whacked him on the head. “Use your own. You’re the one it bothers.
I’m used to you two snoring.”
Travis reached for her other pillow and hit her with
it. “I don’t snore. Now you, wow, I’m surprised the whole house doesn’t wake.”
Laughing they had a pillow fight until the two of
them woke up a grumpy Zeck. “What are you two doing?
Jess threw her pillow and hit Zeck in the face.
“What does it look like we are doing? I’m kicking Travis’s butt in a pillow
fight.”
Zeck chuckled, grabbed his own pillow, and threw it
at her. “Jess, you never win. Females are not as good as us males at games like
this.”
Sticking her tongue out at her friends she felt
light and realized she needed this. Zeck gathered her around the waist and got
his other pillow and hit her with it.
They laughed and played until Jess’s tummy rumbled
and they went to get breakfast
Chapter
Eight
Jess thought she should maybe feel guilty for
messaging Brandon and not calling him to say she was spending the whole weekend
with her friends. She hadn’t even checked her phone since early this morning.
The problem was she knew if she heard his voice she would miss him, and if he
asked her not to stay with her friends and be with him instead she’d cave. As
much as she loved Travis and Zeck they weren’t Brandon. Jess was having fun
with Zeck and Travis, but Jess loved being with Brandon. He made her feel
attractive and sexy. She loved how he spoke to her and how whenever he was with
her he had to be touching her, even if it was only just holding her hand.
“Guess what I got us.” Travis’s excited voice
snapped her out of her day-dreaming about Brandon.
“What did you get?”
Travis grinned and gave her a card as she looked
down, frowning. It was a fake ID. It said she was twenty-one a week ago.
Jess saw that Zeck held one, too. “Where did
you get these?”
Travis tapped his noise. “I’m not going to tell. I
have my sources. Just enjoy them.” His eyes grew bright. “Let’s go out and
enjoy them tonight.”
Jess was unsure. She wasn’t one to break the rules.
Sure she went to house parties and drank, but going to a nightclub was
different. “I’m not sure, Travis. What if they don’t work?”
“They are really good, Jess. He also made us all twenty-one,
so it is a bit more realistic, and we kept similar names.”
The pleading in Zeck’s voice had her caving, and
Jess admitted they were really good fake IDs. “Okay, but you have to promise me
you won’t leave me if either of you find female company.”
Zeck pulled her in for a hug. “I promise at least
one of us will be with you.”
“I won’t leave you, I promise,” Travis said beside
her.