Blind Acceptance (27 page)

David groaned. “That’s an argument for another day.”

“If Remus is the alpha, what do they call Maddie?”

“Her title is Alpha Femm.”

“Why did Remus want a head count?”

David glanced at his brother and then focused on Laynee. “He was notified by an alpha in Canada that several pack members, over the course of last year, had disappeared. He knew that Wind River had problems in the past with some unscrupulous scientists, so he wanted to give them a heads-up.”

Laynee groaned. “You’ve lost me.”

Eric patted her hand. “All this happened before we were adopted into the pack, so our information is a little sketchy. To keep it short, a doctor managed to keep Maddie hostage for a number of years. When she was finally freed, a colleague of his took over terrorizing the pack, even kidnapping and almost killing several of them. He was captured, but with strange things happening again, everyone thinks he might have a son or daughter that’s taken over for him. Hence the disappearing shifters.”

David snickered. “Man, you are the king of making a long story short.”

“What kind of work were these doctors doing?” asked Laynee.

Eric snorted. “Crazy work. He was attempting to combine human and animal DNA to produce his own homegrown shifters that would do his bidding.”

“Needless to say, he wasn’t successful. But he did do a lot of damage.”

Laynee frowned. “And they think his son is continuing his work.”

David nodded. “It’s apparently a strong possibility. It’s not normal for shifters to just up and disappear. We pretty much like pack living, being able to depend on each other for safety and support.”

Eric sighed. “You’re wanting us to go home.”

“Hear me out before you explode. We can keep Shifting Adventures in Glacier.

We have good people in place to run it for us. I propose we go back to Wind River and open a branch. There’s plenty of opportunity for white-water rafting and other water sports. And the area would offer spectacular photographic hunts that I think would draw customers.

We could live on the mountain, in the heart of our pack. We’d never have to worry about Laynee’s safety because there would always be family close by.”

He looked down at his hands. “I have to admit, it felt good to be back among the pack again. I felt relaxed, like I could be myself without worrying what anybody thought.”

Eric leaned his head on the back of the couch. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since we met Laynee and I realized she was my mate. The way we work, gone for so many hours in a day, and sometimes for days at a time, we’d have to leave her alone or with someone we trusted.”

Laynee laid her hand on David’s arm.

“I could go with you.”

“In time, you probably could. But before that happens, you’ll need a lot of training. I can’t speak for Eric’s wolf, but my bear would be inconsolable if I had to go away and leave you alone. It would probably drive him feral if it happened very often.”

“I don’t think my wolf would be too happy about it either. Have you talked to Remus about this?”

“Not exactly, but I did ask Maddie about possible land for sale on the mountain where we could build a home.

She told me of a couple of really nice plots, including one with river access. I figured we could open the office for our new business down in Takoda which would keep the tourists off the mountain.

There’s a couple of empty buildings there we could buy.”

Eric nodded. “There are a few nice motels nearby that would benefit from our business.”

“Exactly!” David smiled. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Eric shrugged. “You’re our business manager. Can we afford to open another branch?”

Laynee snorted. “Damn right we can.”

David sat up straighter. “Hold on, now. We’re not taking your money.”

“Why not? If I’m your mate, then what’s mine is yours, and I happen to have quite a bit of money, and it’s a great way for me to invest.”

David scowled. “Because males are supposed to provide for their mates.” He looked at Eric. “Help me out here, brother. Tell her why we can’t take her money.”

“Sorry, bro, but you’re on your own here. I’m not about to tell my mate she can’t invest in our future. I like sleeping next to Laynee.”

She giggled. “David, you’re being foolish. You heard what Mr. Kemp said I’m worth. There’s no way I could spend that much money in my lifetime. I say we use it to build our dream home and to open a branch of your business. We could probably use some of it to improve the equipment at your original site. Maybe give those great employees of yours a raise, especially since you’ll be promoting someone to manage the place.”

“The woman has some valid points, bro.”

David groaned. “That was not my intention when I started this conversation. I don’t want you to think we want your money, mate.”

She put her hand on his knee. “I know you don’t want it, David. You were showing interest in me before you even knew I had money. Hell, before I knew I had money. Let’s just be thankful for what God has given us and take life from there.”

“Bro, you’ll need to get permission from Remus to open a business near pack land.”

David nodded. “I’ll call him in the morning.”

“Good! I’m gonna get in touch with Mr. Kemp and get him to round up a realtor. This is a nice place, but I have no desire to live here. I’m gonna have him sell this place furnished so we only have to deal with Grandfather’s personal things.”

“What about Maysie and Edward?”

David asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far yet.”

Eric grinned. “Maybe we could take them with us.”

Laynee frowned. “How could you hide the rest of the pack from them if they were living on the mountain?”

David shrugged. “We’d have to be honest with them. There are other humans living on the mountain that know about us and keep our secrets.”

“We’d need to get permission from Remus to tell them anything, but it’s possible for them to come and live with us, if they want.”

Laynee smiled. “Go ahead and ask him, and depending on what he says, we’ll talk to them when they get home tomorrow.”

David growled. “Okay, now that our future is all planned out, I think we have a mate to claim.” He stood and plucked Laynee off the couch.

Eric stood and picked up the champagne and glasses. “Lead the way, bro.”

Laynee twisted her hands together, trying not to shake, as she followed David into the bedroom. She loved both men, but what they were about to do was a little frightening. David trailed a finger down her jaw, over her neck, across her shoulder to slip beneath the neckline of her shirt. “Eric and I both are too close to the edge because we put off the mating for so long. This first time might be a little fast, but I promise we’ll make it up to you time and time again.

“I’m not worried. I know you’ll take care of me.”

“There’s one more thing I forgot to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“When Eric and I take you, we won’t be wearing condoms.”

She caught her breath. “Why not?”

“The mating isn’t complete until we mark you with our scent. Eric’s and my bite will put our DNA inside you and leave our scent, and our seed will complete the process. It’s needed to establish the psychic connection.”

“What if I get pregnant? I’m not on any birth control, remember?”

Eric took her hand. “You can’t get pregnant today, love. You’re not in heat.”

“Excuse me?”

David chuckled. “We would be able to smell it if you were in your fertile time. Trust us. You’re not in your fertile time right now.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay, I’ll trust you. What do you want me to do?”

David opened his mouth over hers and tasted her deeply. She could feel her nipples harden with the touch of his lips.

She closed the space between them and ran her hands up his chest to the top of his shoulders. His strong arms slipped around her waist and crushed their bodies together, his hardness tight against her stomach.

Eric groaned. “My wolf doesn’t have the patience for a drawn-out seduction scene. Can we please just get naked and move on?”

Laynee snickered and stepped away from David. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

She whipped her shirt over her head and reached for the snaps of her bra. Pausing briefly, she raised her head. “I don’t hear the sounds of my men getting naked?” She bit back a laugh at the dual sounds of zippers rasping. Bending, she pulled down her jeans and panties and kicked them away.

“God, you’re beautiful.” David pulled her closer until she rested her head on his chest. She let her hands trail down his body to caress his engorged cock.

His moan vibrated in his chest against her ear.

“I wanna taste our mate.” Eric laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She felt his mouth on the corner of her own, felt his breath as his lips parted. He moved his head just a fraction of an inch, and his hard, hot mouth moved completely onto hers, parting her lips as it explored, settled, and demanded. She kissed openmouthed, her tongue flicking over his bottom lip.

She swept the inside of his mouth with her tongue and brushed the tips of her breasts against his chest.

Behind her, David was toying with her hair, his body so close to hers she could feel their hearts beating against her back and chest. He took her earlobe between his teeth and gave it a small tug.

Her fingers splayed over the springy hair on Eric’s chest as his breath whispered out at her temple, stirring her hair. He pulled her fingers away, kissing the tip of each one. “We’re too close to the edge for you to play, mate. You have to let us be dominant tonight.”

“Let us have control, Laynee.” David scraped his teeth over her shoulder. “Let yourself go.”

She arched her head back, feeling her breasts sway with the movement. Eric leaned down and swirled his tongue inside her belly button, curving his hand over the bare flesh of her bottom. She felt a second pair of hands palm her thighs, caressing the sensitive skin. She bucked, trying to get the hand closer to that ache between her legs. She could feel the moisture slowly ease out of her body and dampen the lips protecting her entrance.

David began to lick her leg slowly from her ankle to the inside of her knee, while Eric moved between her legs. She could feel him, hot and hard against her belly.

David rose to his feet and pulled her ass against his enormous cock, his warm, hard body pressing against her back. She shuddered as a wave of desire flowed over her and trembled from the anticipation of both of them filling her at the same time.

David lifted his head, slipped his hands along her shoulders and down to her waist. He nuzzled her hair, breathing in the feminine, musky aroma of her skin and sex. His bear was stretching, pawing at his chest, anxious for them to couple with their mate. He dragged his mouth along the sensitive skin of her neck and shoulder and then dipped his tongue in her ear. Her head fell back, exposing her throat.

Eric glanced up, his eyes going black as his wolf tried to take control. He turned Laynee around to face David, burying his face in her hair. “I’m too close, brother. I need a minute.”

David took her lips in a demanding kiss as he lifted her so he could grind his erection against her pussy. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his tongue swirled languorously inside her moist, hot mouth. Her hardened nipples rubbed against his chest. Reaching out, he touched one erect, pink bud, rolling it reverently between his fingertips, while Eric ran his hands over her shoulders.

“Touch me,” she begged. “Touch my nipples.”

David’s thumb rubbed back and forth across her already taut nipple, fingering them until she arched her back and purred like a kitten. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes, oh, yes, suck on them, please.”

David flattened his tongue over her nipple, pinching each one in turn before sucking it into his warm mouth. Laynee went wild, bucking against his hold, groaning in frustration as she tried to get closer. “Move back, Eric.” When his brother moved, David lifted her into his arms and deposited her on the large bed.

Crawling up beside her, he smoothed his hand up her leg, easing his way to her core, and stroked over her puffy lips. He gave a growl of satisfaction when he penetrated her slick channel with his fingers. “Damn, you’re so wet.”

“Don’t tease me, David. I want you inside me.”

“Soon, love, but first I wanna make you scream my name while you come.”

He stroked her wet pussy with two fingers before pushing inside her heat.

When Eric’s hand joined his, Laynee gasped and tried to close her legs.

“Easy, mate,” crooned Eric. “We won’t hurt you.” He turned his gaze to David. “Go ahead, brother. Make her scream.”

David leaned close and licked the length of her slit. He sucked on her clit and then pushed first one and then another finger inside her wet channel.

She moaned as he found her clit and rubbed the slick flesh in tiny circles.