Untitled (14 page)

   Rafe settled himself to the ground, blending into the foliage without conscious thought. His eyes remained fixed on the house, his senses alert while he considered his options. He'd come out here with a vague idea of revenge circling in his mind. Unlike the others, he wasn't quite so sanguine about Gina's near

miss.

   With access to the FBI computers, it hadn't taken him long to work out that Gina would be safe enough within a day. As soon as she gained control of her section of the trust fund, there was no way either her stepfather or stepbrother could profit by her death. Leaving her out for the wolves had been a last-ditch effort on their part.

   His lips pulled back in a snarl. His fangs bared. He was caught between wanting to rip the guy's throat out and wanting to laugh. Considering that he was the town's sheriff, Alan was terribly amateurish when it came to attempted murder. Surely even he should have worked out that their trail could easily be followed by the very same wolves he was hoping to tempt with his stepdaughter's unconscious body.

   And a very nice body she had, too…

   He shrugged and sniffed again, drawing the fresh scent of pine needles deep into his head in an effort to blot out the unwanted image. Overhead, clouds were starting to swirl and the air was damp. It wouldn't be long before the rain returned. Not that it would bother him—his fur coat was more-or-less waterproof. Rafe forced his mind back to the problem at hand.

   Nate was obviously head-over-heels for Gina. How long would it be before she joined the family, he wondered, grinning to himself at the idea of Nate happily married. He'd always been the most carefree of the old gang, and now it looked like he was going to be the first to get himself leg-shackled. And she wasn't even a ware…

   So, simply protecting her from the sheriff and his son for the next couple of days was too tame. Even if Nate hadn't quite accepted the fact, Gina was family. She was as close to becoming a Moore as made no difference.

   It wasn't like Rafe could do anything
legally
, but he was a werewolf. Sometimes, he thought, the others tended to forget that fact. And werewolves had quite a few skills. Ripping the enemy's throat out may not have been socially acceptable, but that didn't mean he couldn't scare him senseless. With luck, the jerk might even leave town afterwards.

   Inwardly grinning, he stood up and stretched languidly. The movement made every muscle clearly visible, even through the thick fur of his coat. He may not have had Sebastian's height and natural strength, but he was fitter—and life had taught him how to play dirty.

   Rafe was positively looking forward to a rumble with the two men in the house below. And there was absolutely no need for the others to know he'd taken matters into his own hands. His lips twitched in amusement. He knew Sebastian wouldn't approve.

   The wolf padded silently down the hill, a natural predator blending effortlessly into his environment. For an instant, he wondered what the others were doing then dismissed the thought. He very much doubted they'd be having anywhere near as much fun as he was about to have.

* * * *

nipple right as she started to speak.

"When what?"

   Unresisting, she followed his gentle urging, slumping down the sofa cushions until she was lying on her back, her legs dangling over the edge of the seat. "When can we… oh!"

   His hands shifted, one thumb stroking her bottom lip, the other delving between her legs, pressing them apart and running a fingernail repeatedly up and down the crotch seam of her jeans. The light pressure vibrated right through her clit, and she thrust her hips helplessly up into his hand.

   Deliberately, Nate grinned down on her. "When can we what?"

   "I want…" she breathed, "I think I want…"

   "Yes?"

   "All of you!" she blurted out.

   My God! She was fully aware of the fact that he hadn't even had to ask her. She'd been the one to beg him to let her take part in a ménage.

   Nate sat up straight, pulling her briskly upright. She just sat where he propped her, head spinning slightly at the abrupt loss of contact.

   "Alright. When?"

   When? He actually expected her to set the time and place? She was having enough difficulty believing she'd actually just thrown her good-girl image out the window, and all because she wanted… What did she want?

   She stared up at him, struck dumb.

   "How about right now?" Gina whirled to look behind her. Sebastian was standing there, framed by the doorway, with one of the others behind him. Rob,

she thought. She couldn't tell which one had spoken.

"Now?" she repeated.

   "Sounds good to me." Nate spoke up beside her. He was grinning again, and she belatedly realised that Sebastian and Rob had probably heard every gasping nuance. She had to start remembering about that sharp werewolf hearing… Whatever, she'd as good as broadcast her wishes to them all.

   "Rafe's going to be sorry he went out," Sebastian offered easily as he sauntered into the room, waiting for Rob and closing the door behind them. "He's gone to confirm the identities of the men who kidnapped you."

   "Oh."

   "So," Sebastian directed himself to Nate. "Shall we get started?"

   Nate glanced towards her, his eyes focusing on her with that dreadful intensity. His lips quirked, and she shivered, wondering what he was thinking when he looked at her like that. "I think so."

   Sebastian and Rob moved to the other end of the room, and she followed their progress idly. It was a shame they'd both dressed before coming in, she thought. Having a great butt was apparently mandatory for Moores. She glanced back towards Nate as he stood up.

   "Wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

   He disappeared out into the corridor, reappearing only a few minutes later fully dressed in casual track pants and sweat shirt. That confused her, and was a bit of a disappointment really. She'd been practically salivating over the erection he'd been sporting and had been giving serious consideration to exactly what he was planning on doing with it. Her mouth, her pussy—her ass? Now there was a possibility she'd never yet dared to explore…

   She shrugged, bringing her attention back to what was going on around her. What were they all doing dressed anyway? Surely it would have been more sensible for them all to be getting naked, than for Nate to be getting dressed?

   In the meantime, the others had pulled a fulllength, backless, chaise lounge closer to the fire, pushing the other chairs out of their way. Her attention grabbed, she watched as they shifted it, angling it lengthwise to the fire—for warmth, she guessed—then stood back and looked enquiringly towards Nate.

   He returned to her, almost gliding across the room to sink into the chair beside her. He reached for her face, cupped her chin, and tugged gently until she was looking deep into his eyes. There was a flame in their depths, and she felt that if she'd leaned too far forward she would have spilled over the rim, tumbling into the heart of a volcano.

   A shiver of anticipation ran through her—what those eyes promised! But at the same time it was one of fear. She wasn't afraid of Nate; that wasn't the issue. It was more that she was afraid of herself, afraid of the uninhibited side of her he'd so effortlessly dragged out of hiding. She was afraid of the fact that this was something she actually wanted to experience. More to the point, she wanted to experience it with Nate.

   His finger trailed gentle fire down her cheek, then traced the line of her lips, and all the time he held her

eyes captive in his. "Are you sure, babe?"

   Suddenly hesitant, she nodded slowly, his hand on her chin restricting her movement. He made no attempt to loosen his hold, but his thumb swirled reassuringly over her skin.

   "I want to give you this," he said, " I want you to see what
you're
capable of. But only if it's what you want too."

   What
she
was capable of? The confusion must have shown in her eyes, because he smiled his understanding even as he turned her head towards where Sebastian and Rob were waiting near the fireplace. Sebastian was leaning against the mantle, his elbow propped and his foot resting negligently on the fender. Rob had propped his back against the wall, his arms loosely crossed over his stomach.

   They both looked infinitely relaxed, calmly waiting for whatever was going to happen next. She tried to swing her head back to Nate, wondering what he was showing her, but he held her firm. She looked more closely, slowly becoming aware of the tension in Sebastian's muscled forearm, and the odd alertness in Rob's gaze. Neither of them was anywhere near as relaxed as they appeared at first glance.

   "Oh." Understanding dawned.

   "There are three full-grown men in this room," he explained, "and they're all in your thrall. Even if you've never realised it, you," he turned her back to face him, "are a supremely sexy woman."

   Gina had been starting to get that idea; it was hard not to be aware of the fact her body was sending out demands that were entirely different to what she'd always programmed herself to expect. But to hear someone with a reputation like Nate Moore's, say that to her, his eyes bright with sincerity, was still a huge shock.

   "I would give you anything," he continued with a self-mocking smile she didn't quite understand. "I'll even manage to put aside my jealousy and let my family play. Somehow." She almost missed the last word, it was uttered so softly.

   "Play? What do you mean?"

   He grinned. "Oh, yeah. We love to play. Don't you want to know what it's like to be the preferred plaything, the favored toy? With us?"

   A wave of red rode over her cheeks at the thought, and she answered somewhat faintly. "I think I would. But…" She hesitated, more embarrassed by her sudden doubts than the erotic images of entwined limbs—strong, possessive arms, and muscular legs— that her brain kept replaying in front of her eyes.

   He raised an eyebrow.

   "You'll be here the whole time, won't you?" It came out in a rush.

   She looked up, inspecting his face for any sign of what he was thinking, only to find herself enveloped in a hug, her face crushed against his chest.

   "God, I'm glad you feel that way," he murmured into her hair. "I'll never leave you alone."

   Never?

   Any lingering worry was swept away in the rush of emotion that single word had evoked. Never was a long time, and maybe—just maybe—it meant she wasn't the only one who was getting lust confused with love. Gina stretched her arms around his waist, shrugging off the ferocity of his hold to free them, and

After what felt like an eternity, Nate finally released her, enfolding her fingers in his and leading her over to stand near the fire. Both Rob and Sebastian were standing upright now, obviously alert, and she realised with a start that they'd heard every word of the quiet conversation.

   Seemingly reading her mind, Sebastian reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, twirling a strand around his fingers and tugging gently. "Don't worry about it. We all learnt discretion very early."

   Rob chuckled, and she could feel the silent shaking of Nate's laughter rumbling through her, touching something deep inside. A shared joke, something they all picked up on without the need to exchange words. That was something she'd never had, and she suddenly understood the difference between the supporting closeness of the Moore family, and her own. It was something she would have liked to experience.

   She looked shyly up to Nate, a tentative smile on her lips. "What happens now?"

   "Well," he stepped back and looked her up and down, a scowl on his face as he pretended to consider what she was wearing. "I think that the first thing we need to do is get rid of some of your clothes."

   Behind him, Sebastian and Rob straightened, their attention fixing on her. She could see the same fire flaring in Sebastian's eyes as that which already burned in Nate's, and Rob's lips were slowly parting, his tongue darting out to moisten them as he stared.

   "Take your clothes off," Nate ordered.

   "Uh…"

   "Now." His voice was flat, the sort of no-nonsense tone a parent would use on a recalcitrant child.

   None of them made any move to help her, but just stood there, ranged in a semi-circle between herself and the fire, the hunger in their expressions warming her more than the flames behind them.

   She licked her lips nervously. "I don't…"

   "Close your eyes." It was Rob this time, issuing the terse command.

   She did, and it helped. The darkness was voluntary, and she could still
feel
the heat of their combined gaze on her flesh, but it was easier now she couldn't see the way they were looking at her, like well-trained dogs waiting impatiently for a reward they knew was coming.

   Quite an apt simile, she thought, the touch of humor giving her the nerve to fumble with the knotted T-shirt, untying it and lifting it slowly over her head.

   There'd been no bra provided, and the cooler air on her breasts instantly reminded her there was now nothing between their ravenous eyes and
her
. Goose bumps prickled over her bare skin. She really was going to have to stop thinking of them in terms of 'hungry', and herself in terms of a feast… Gina almost grinned, then she dropped the shirt on the floor, her eyes still tightly closed, and reached for the button fly of her jeans.

   It was unnaturally quiet. She'd heard the swoosh of the shirt crumpling on the ground, the soft crackling of the fire, and even the hiss of air as someone inhaled sharply. Her nipples hardened, and she felt moisture building up between her thighs. Just the thought of what her actions were doing to these men was turning her on. She paused, her fingers twiddling with the second button, listening avidly.