Climbing the Ladder (2 page)

It was good to have a plan, right?

Right.

She took off for her bedroom at a dead run. Which made it really odd that the boys got

there before her.

“Get out of my way.”

“Sammy, honey.” Kody reached out for her, and she slapped his hand. Hard.

“Don’t you fucking call me honey. You never get to call me honey again!”

He didn’t even have the decency to ask his lover to leave while she explained to him how

she was going to leave him. She could handle a lot, but not this.

“She’s feisty.” The big guy had a rumbly voice and a callused hand. She felt it on her

arm, fingers long enough to circle her arm completely.

“Don’t you touch me!” She spun around, decked the guy as hard as she could before

fumbling for the doorknob. It would lock behind her once she was through.

Kody put himself between her and the door, pleading with her with those big, blue eyes.

“Honey, please.”

“Don’t you call me honey. You…you cheater! You…And with a guy? Why didn’t you…

You knew I was coming home.”

So Kody must not have even cared…

“I didn’t know Mesa was coming to find me.” Kody was still pleading, hand outstretched.

“Oh.” It was like being hit with ice water, leaving her gasping for breath, it hurt so badly.

“I want you out. Tomorrow.”

She’d go to Maggie’s, spend the night. Becky had kids. Becky wouldn’t understand.

Becky would bitch. Maggie would help her plan Kody’s homicide.

“No. No, you don’t understand…” Kody looked frantic now. She got a tiny little nugget

of satisfaction out of that. Maybe the big guy didn’t have the money she did.

“You’re right, I don’t. I don’t understand any of this. I thought…” She thought that she

was Kody’s love, Kody’s lady, and even though all of her friends had said she was a fool for

taking up with a tarot-reading, festival-going psychic, she’d thought it was for real. She was going to be a laughingstock. Samantha looked at Kody, blinking hard, refusing to let him see her cry. “You have until close of business tomorrow to clear out of here. I never want to see you

again.”

“Stop it.” The big one’s voice snapped through the room, making her jump. “You need to

calm the fuck down.”

“Fuck you, asshole. You wanted him, take him.”

Kody was staring at the guy now, not her. He was shaking hard. “Mesa. Make her

understand.”

That was it. She’d had enough. She was out of here. “Tomorrow, Kody. I’m serious.”

All she needed was her purse and her keys.

She was out of here.

Except that the big asshole kept pushing, invading her space, until the only place she

could go was her bedroom. Kody was moved neatly out of the way to give her access to that.

She managed to grab the door, slam it, and lock it.

Then she stood there looking at the bed that was supposed to be where she and Kody

were having wild, amazing sex.

Maybe she should have offered them the bedroom. Assholes. Fucking assholes.

She leaned against the door, closed her eyes. She needed to plan, needed to think. Needed

to call her lawyer.

One way or the other, if Kody thought he could have his cake and eat it, too, he was sadly

mistaken. She could figure out what to do next, damn it. She was a smart dog.

* * * *

Mesa blinked, then rolled his head on his neck. What a cluster fuck. “How likely is she to

climb out the window, baby?”

“Out the window?” Kody looked completely destroyed, chewing his lips, hands

scrubbing together.

“Yeah. To get away.” He chose not to bark, moving close instead, sharing his scent with

Kody.

“She’s not. No, she’s going to take a bath.” Kody sniffed him, panting softly. “What am I

going to do? I didn’t mean to hurt her. I didn’t.”

“Shh.” He reached up and rubbed his thumb along Kody’s cheek, his palm curling along

the pointy jaw. “I like her.”

“She’s amazing.” Kody panted, leaned into his touch. “I hurt her, she’s crying.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Mesa wasn’t sorry. Not a bit. He’d found Kody, and in the

meantime, Kody had found their third, the all-important person that they needed to be whole. It might have been nice if Kody had mentioned she was due home, but it was all doable. “You did

good, Kody. You did. She’ll be ours.” His sweet Beta. If Mesa had known that Kody needed to

leave the Clan to find their third, he wouldn’t have been so pissed. Mostly.

“She doesn’t know about me, Mesa.”

“What?” Now Mesa was blinking again, his mouth falling open. “How can she not

know?”

“I go out of town during the full moon. Run.”

“No, I mean how can she not know about her?” Kody’s girl was one of them. A wolf. He

could smell it. Shit, even if he couldn’t smell it, Kody wouldn’t have imprinted on her if she were human.

“She doesn’t change. It happens, yeah? To a lot of them?”

Mesa thought of all of the pack history he’d had to learn in the last few months. “Yeah. I

mean, solitary or halves, whatever. If they don’t get the right pheromones at the right time, that sort of thing. She will, though.”

“You think so? She doesn’t know I do. Change.”

“Obviously there’s a lot she doesn’t know.” He put his ear to the door to see if he could

hear her. The water was running, her sobs sounding under it. The sound tugged at him, deep and low. He bit off a growl, wanting to go in there and comfort her. He couldn’t, but at least she wasn’t running. He put a hand on Kody’s shoulder. “Tell me about her.”

The connection between them flared, the scent of his mate immediate and strong.

Suddenly he could hear Kody inside him, the voice tiny and distant. Mate.

“She’s a broker for a bank. Her favorite color is purple. She loves cinnamon and sweets

and she tastes like nectarines and she’s got a little hot spot on her wrist.” Kody nuzzled him.

“When I met her, she dyed her hair lighter; it’s prettier now.”

“A bank? Really? And she likes citrus fruit?” Wow. She had really grown up mundane.

“She loves to dance, her feet are ticklish, and she likes sex, a lot.”

“Mmm. So do you.” He had to be careful. He could get distracted. He and Kody had been

young, but they’d burned bright.

Kody nodded, the whispered
Mate
echoing inside him again.

“I missed you, baby. I was so mad that you left. Now I know why.” He’d been more than

mad; he’d been crazy. He’d screamed and raved until Junie and Canyon had gone to the Alpha,

who’d taken Mesa down, teeth hard on his throat, telling him to get over it.

“I missed you. I had to go.” Of course, Kody had. The man could no more deny his

instincts to complete them than he could stop breathing. Of course, it would have been much

easier to find their third in the mountains than out here by the ocean.

“I know. Now we have to make a plan. What will she do after she finishes crying?” They

had to anticipate her. Otherwise, they could lose her and lose time. He had a pack to run.

“Pack a bag and go to her friend’s. Maybe Becky, but probably Maggie. Maggie hates

me. Hates men.” Kody vibrated, hand sliding on the locked door. “Sammy’s going to hate me,

too.”

“No. She’ll think she does, but she doesn’t know the truth.” They were going to be so

strong, so good together. Mesa felt it in his bones every second they were together.

“I don’t know what to do. I was making supper…”

“What were you making?” He knew what he wanted to do, but that would be

counterproductive. If Sammy caught them again, it could be disastrous.

“Stew. I made bread. Apple crisp.” Kody whined softly. “I hurt you, I hurt her.”

“Shh.” He kissed Kody gently, vocalizing deep in his throat. “Go save dinner, baby.”

“You taste like Pack.” Kody lapped his chin.

“You taste like home. No matter where you hide.” He smiled down at his lover, knowing

it was all going to be all right. Grandma Minnie had been right. It was time.

He stroked through Kody’s thick shaggy hair, the gold strands tugging at his rough

fingers. The petting made Kody smile, relax. Kody’d always been so easy. Up until the day he’d left. Then he’d been stubborn and sneaky and kind of a butthead.

“Come to the kitchen?”

“Sure.” He would hear the woman if she tried to leave. She was in no condition to be

sneaky.

Kody led him back to the kitchen, the space bright, light, and open. It was different from

Mesa’s house, that was for sure. He had the Alpha house now, all heavy wood, meant to

withstand teething pups and fighting males. Blizzards.

“Such a nice place.” It was. He’d hate living there, with the smog and the traffic noise.

“You hate it.”

“I don’t hate it. I just couldn’t live here.”

“Liar.” Kody chuffed softly. “How’s Grandma Minnie?”

“She’s good. She was tickled that I passed the trials.” Minnie had beamed at him when

he’d mentioned going to get Kody.

“I am too. Excited. Proud.” Kody looked back toward the hall where their lady was

hiding.

“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll figure it out.”

Kody nodded, head down as he cooked, but Mesa could tell the man didn’t believe it. Not

yet.

“Baby. You trust me, right? You trust the way of the pack?” He knew that he did now.

He believed. He’d been through the trials, which had tested him to the end of his endurance, even though he’d been born to become Alpha.

“I trust you. I do. I just…” Kody was beginning to vibrate.

“Do you want me to go get her, baby? I can. We can talk now. I just thought we’d give

her time.” Mesa knew she’d have a rage all over them.

“She’ll just scream. She wants me out.” Kody went over to the floor where the

champagne bottle had fallen.

“So what do you want, baby?” Mesa stopped Kody with a hand on one shoulder.

“I want my mates.” Kody whined softly. “You’re both right here.”

“I know. She just doesn’t know it.” Mesa stroked Kody’s hair, knowing it was his Beta’s

way, to want to make things right.

Kody’s eyes closed, the bottle falling from Kody’s fingers. Man, that champagne was

skunked. “I thought you were gone forever.”

“You left me.” The accusation was going to do nothing. He knew it, and he wanted to

take it back right off.

Kody stiffened, blue eyes going dull, and stepped away from him, putting the island

between them. “I did.”

“No.” He stalked Kody around the island. “No, don’t run from me. I’m sorry, baby. No

snarling, I promise.”

Kody backed away, shook his head. “You’re right. I left. I fuck up. You know that. So

does Sammy now.”

“No.” He put Command into his voice, not letting Kody get away. “You did everything

right. I just didn’t know it.”

Kody stopped, stared at him, the energy between them pure fire, the air alight. He smiled

a little, bending down to kiss Kody on the mouth. Hard. Kody’s little howl echoed in his lips, Kody’s hands wrapping around his shoulders.

Yes. Yes, that was what Kody needed. This was what he needed. Touching. Connection.

Sweet Kody. His baby.

Mate.
There it was again. That whisper deep in the center of his head. Mesa’s body

tightened, his whole self yearning for Kody. Kody stepped forward, groaning, growling.

“You motherfucker!” A glass broke against the counter next to them. “Cheater! You

knew I was right HERE!”

Another wine glass came flying, hitting Kody in the head and sending his lover stumbling

back, hand to his face. “Sammy!”

Mesa whirled, glad as hell that she’d come out, even though he knew it would be sticky.

“You don’t understand.”

A glass smacked him in the nose. Ow. Ow! He barked sharply, stumbled back, slamming

into Kody as she drove them backward.

“You BASTARD!” She was wild—long maple-colored hair flying everywhere, compact

body filled with amazing curves. Mesa wanted to howl.

Mesa growled, instead, this time out loud. “Stop.”

“Fuck you.” She grabbed another plate, sent it flying. “Cheating pricks. Why didn’t you

tell me you were gay? Bastard!”

“I’m not!” Kody ducked around him, holding his hands out. “I married you; I love you.”

“
Liar!
” God, she could shriek. She was amazing. Mesa was so hard he ached. There was

nothing like a good snarl to make a wolf want to fuck.

“No. No, I’m not lying.”

“Stop!” Mesa roared it, putting every bit of Command he had behind it, and for a

gratifying moment, everyone froze.

Then one tear escaped, rolling down Samantha’s cheek, and she bolted, hair bouncing

behind her.

Shit.

“I’m sorry, Kody.”

“Oh…” Kody stood there, face quiet, still, almost deathly.

“I’ll get her. Do you want me to get her?”

“No. No. I. She’s right. I never told her about us, you.”

“I—” Shit and shinola. He didn’t know what to do.

“You should have. You should have told me.” She was back, standing by the door, car

keys in hand, tiny white tennis shoes on her feet. “I’m not a bitch. If you needed a beard or

somewhere to stay, I…I would have hated it, but it wouldn’t have been a lie.”

“You don’t know Kody if you can think that.” Mesa knew this had to be so hard. So hard.

He hated it for all of them.

“I don’t know him at all.” She looked so fucking sad, so lost, and he wanted to hold her,

help her.

Kody whimpered, the cut above his eye already healing. “I didn’t lie. I didn’t. I love you,

Sammy.”

“Don’t say that. You don’t get to say that to me, ever again.”

“But it’s true.”

Mesa moved fast, going to catch her before she could leave, and she whipped around,