Fire of the Wolf [The Gray Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

“However…” He paused dramatically, waiting for her to focus her attention back on his eyes before speaking. “You are mine. Mine and Devin’s. You will come to accept that, but I’m willing to give you more time to fall head over heels in love with me.”

His smile was playful, but his words carried a strong message. She wasn’t sure she liked his assumptions, but she didn’t want to argue with him again. Settling for rolling her eyes at him, she noticed the shopping bag in his hand.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Leave it to a woman to sniff out new clothes.” He chuckled. “The Red Cross worker that came in last night said that the hospital would have had to throw out the clothes you were wearing, so I went and got you some things to wear. Hopefully they fit. I had to ask your friend Tina what sizes I should get for you. She also said that your favorite color is purple, so…”

He looked so hopeful that she would be happy with his purchases that she couldn’t help but smile wider. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, you know. I appreciate that you and Devin want to help me, but…”

“I know, I know. You don’t know us. That’s okay, beautiful, we can slow down and give you time to get to know us, but don’t shut us out. Now, out of bed with you, let’s see how they fit so that we can get you out of this place.” He reached his hand out as if to help her stand, and she arched her brow at him, crossing her arms under her breasts.

“Damon. You will
not
be helping me change clothes. I will put them on, but you will wait outside while I shower and get dressed.” She hoped the look on her face was serious enough for him to resist arguing, but she could feel her own laughter bubbling up. She liked this lighthearted, flirty side to him.

“You may not be strong enough to stand up and move around on your own, Caroline. Let me help you.” He looked both concerned and devilish as he made his plea, but she wouldn’t back down. She shook her head and pointed to the door, grinning.

“I will be fine. I’ve been dressing myself for thirty years now. Thank you for your offer.” She smiled back at him.

“Fifteen minutes, beautiful, and then I come looking for you,” he called out as he headed back to his chair in the hallway.

His easy laugh sent ripples of desire through her. How could these men have such an effect on her? She was such a sane woman, and she had never been so attracted to anyone. As she learned their different personalities, her desire for them increased, and it made her wonder if there wasn’t something to their claim that she was fated to be with them. She shook her head at her own crazy thoughts, and opened the shopping bag. Inside she found a pair of blue jeans, and a purple sweater as well as a pair of lacy purple panties with a matching push-up bra. At the bottom of the bag was a box with a pair of new tennis shoes and a pair of white socks, and last she found a small bag that contained toiletries for a shower.

Caroline almost cried at the thoughtfulness of this man. He had thought of everything a girl would need, and had even gone shopping for it. She didn’t think she had ever received clothing from a man in her life. Her one ex-boyfriend had not been big on gifts, so she wasn’t used to accepting them. At that moment she knew that she had no chance against these men if they kept treating her like she was someone special.

She decided to ignore those feelings for now, and she headed for the bathroom that was attached to her room. All of her muscles were screaming in pain. She turned the water on as hot as she could and gave a throaty sigh as she settled into its heat.

As she relaxed into the water, her mind alternated between images of the two men. Damon seemed to be so much more impulsive then Devin, but he was also the one that was more thoughtful of her needs. Devin was more serious, and could clearly keep his calm in the face of her temper. She felt Devin’s desire to protect her even from a distance, and she could sense Damon’s need to see her smile when he looked at her. The only physical differences were their dimples on opposing cheeks, and just slightly different-colored green eyes that made her want to purr when they looked deep into her. They were quite the puzzle, and she was determined to figure them out somehow, and to move at her own pace in this new relationship.

As she came out of the steamy shower, her head spun a bit. It seemed she wasn’t quite as strong as she thought. She slid down the wall to sit naked on the floor with her head resting on her knees. Her vision spun, and she felt nauseous. The previous day’s events hit her again, and she started to tremble violently. She crawled across the tiles to the toilet and retched. Her stomach was empty, so she couldn’t vomit, but her body seemed to want to get rid of all of the pain from last night. Settling on the floor next to the toilet, curled in the fetal position and shivering, she knew she couldn’t get herself back up to get dressed, and that scared her.

Just a second later, the door to the bathroom burst open, and both Devin and Damon stood there staring at her with fear on their identical faces as she broke down in shock on the floor of the hospital bathroom. She felt a quick rush of embarrassment, before she was wracked with a second wave of violent tremors. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to slow the spinning of the room and relax her breathing.

She felt one of them pick her up, as the other wrapped a towel around her, and they took her into the other room. Instead of sitting her down on the bed, she felt the twin carrying her settle into the plastic chair, and adjust her across his lap with his arms wrapped around her tightly. Her body shook hard enough to make her teeth chatter, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. She looked up to see Damon holding her tightly while Devin stood inches away watching her. Damon rocked her back and forth for a few moments, until her body began to relax into his hold. She kept her cheek pressed against his hard chest, absorbing his strength. His arms around her felt like iron supports holding her together so that she didn’t fall completely apart. It was wonderful.

“I’ll go get the nurse,” he said to his brother.

“No!” she gasped, and she pulled out of Damon’s arms to stand. She had to grip the towel tightly to keep her dignity in front of them. “I’m…I’m okay, I promise. I just got really light-headed after my shower. My head was spinning, and it made me nauseous, so I had to sit down, and then everything just seemed to hit me all at once. My stomach is settling now. I just need to catch my breath for a minute. Oh God! I’m so embarrassed!” She used her free hand to cover her face as she blushed and prayed that they would take the hint and just get up and leave. Instead they stayed put, and again in the silent tension, she got the idea that they were communicating with each other.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed, Caroline. You have been through a lot.” Devin’s voice was close to her ear, and she felt that sizzle of need as it rumbled through her.

“Yeah, please let us help you, so that you can take it easy,” Damon added.

“Thank you for coming for me. I don’t think I could have gotten up.” She still covered her face with her hand, and her breath left her lungs in a shudder. Her wet hair dripped down her back, and her toes were getting cold now that she was coming back to reality.

She tightened the towel around her and ran for the bathroom. “Oh my God, I need to brush my teeth. I’m sure I have terrible breath right now.” She heard the two men snicker as she quickly broke open the toothbrush that someone had placed on the counter, and after a couple of moments she returned to the room where they waited for her patiently.

She watched them both warily, but neither spoke. Their green eyes followed her nervous hand up to tighten at the opening of the towel, ensuring it stayed closed. “I guess I’ll get dressed now. I can do that by myself I’m sure.”

Damon stood up out of his chair, and their towering frames surrounded her. They had to stand at least a foot taller than her, and the muscular heat of their bodies was impossible to ignore.

Damon lifted her chin to look into her eyes, and he kissed her. It was the best first kiss—after the one she shared with Devin—of her entire life. It was a kiss that was hard and soft all at once. It seemed that she was an appetizer on a plate to be devoured by him. Her soul seemed to reach out from her to grab ahold of his, trying to hold on for the wild ride. She pulled her small frame up against his body, and with his hand, he pressed her pelvis against his obviously hard erection. She moaned into his mouth, and let go of her towel to grip his biceps. Her fingers curled around his hard muscled arms, and her brain turned to mush. She couldn’t think, and all she knew was this was where she wanted to stay. His tongue danced with hers playfully, and he nipped her bottom lip, drawing a soft moan from her as her pussy clenched.

Behind her she heard Devin clear his throat. His voice came out tight and almost sounded angry.

“Enough, Damon! Give her some breathing room.”

As Damon pulled back from her, she felt the towel slip, and he reached out to grab it to protect her modesty. As his fingers skimmed the top of her breasts, her knees weakened and she stumbled. Four strong hands helped her to sit back down on the edge of the bed, and then silently Devin retrieved her bag of clothing from the bathroom and set it next to her.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help, sugar?” he asked her, watching her carefully. Afraid to speak and beg them to touch her, she just shook her head and reached for the bag.

After another long pause, the two men each kissed the top of her head and then quietly left the room. It was several minutes before Caroline managed to put herself back to get and get her control back. She was now more determined than ever to get her answers from Devin and Damon. She had just realized that she craved them both desperately.

“It’s only a few minutes away from here,” Damon reassured Caroline as he settled her into the front seat of his mustang. “We will get you home and comfortable so that you can relax.”

She smiled at him because he seemed almost clumsy as he tried to help her buckle her seat belt.

“Damon, I can handle my own seat belt. I’m not broken,” she said in what she hoped was a firm voice, and he looked up at her.

“I know, beautiful, but then you wouldn’t let me get this close to you,” he said, his eyes drifting to her breasts.

“That’s what you think,” she muttered, and then her eyes widened when she realized she had spoken out loud. His breath caught, and his pupils dilated when he processed her words. Instead of speaking, he laughed and kissed her on the nose, stepping back from her car door.

She took a deep breath and chided herself for thinking out loud before she turned to wave good-bye to Tina who still stood on the sidewalk.

“Caro, call me and let me know how you are doing, or if you need anything. Take care of her, fellas. She needs some TLC right now. I will call you in a few days to check in and see how you’re feeling. Maybe you will be ready to jump back on that bike, and take it for a ride?” Tina smiled wickedly at her, and then at the twins who grinned back. Caroline shook her head and smiled to herself with the warm affection she felt for her friend as she went back into the hospital. Fidgeting in her seat, she watched as Damon hurried around the car. He stopped to say something to Devin, who waited next to them in a huge black pickup truck to follow the two of them home.

Home?
Caroline wasn’t sure she wanted to think about that, and what it meant. For now she was going along with their plan for her to use their spare room, but she intended to make other arrangements as soon as possible. She just didn’t know how, or with what money she was going to start her life over. Being an emergency room nurse paid the bills, but the student loan debt that she carried was immense. Add to that the debts that her parents left behind when they died, and there wasn’t an extra penny in her piggy bank. She almost laughed out loud at this thought, because she didn’t even have the funds to go get a new piggy bank! She was stuck between a rock and a hard place…or in this case a stunning piece of man candy, and his identical twin brother.

She turned to look at Damon as he drove her home, and wondered to herself what kind of a man takes a strange woman home with no promises? What kind of man declares a woman his the day that he meets her? And what kind of a man is willing to share a woman with his brother? She wasn’t sure that they wanted to share because there always seemed to be a silent communication between them when one of them had her attention. She didn’t really sense any competition though. She wanted desperately to ask, but her gut told her she wasn’t ready for the answers yet. Still, she would have to have this conversation soon, because she knew her future depended on the answers.

“You okay, beautiful?” Damon looked over to catch her staring at him, and flashed her a confident smile. “We can order something in for dinner tonight, pizza or Chinese, whichever you like? Or we can go out to dinner if you feel up to it. Devin and I don’t cook, so I won’t scare you off by suggesting that.” He laughed out loud, and she couldn’t help but giggle, too.

These guys sure were sure of themselves.

“Thanks. Pizza sounds perfect, and a cold beer if you have it,” she said hesitantly, and looked back out to the road.
Why do I feel so shy around him? I’m never shy with men. I tell them what I want and don’t take no for an answer.
She hated the feeling of arguing with herself.

* * * *

“Damn, I knew you were my kind of woman,” Damon said, and reached over to caress Caroline’s knee. He felt her tense a little, and the fragrance of her arousal hit him in the gut. He couldn’t stop the low growl that came out of his throat. She wanted him, and he needed her. She just needed to trust him and Devin enough to give in. Damon knew he needed to claim his mate, and soon, or he might lose his mind to lust. Patience was never his strong suit. Devin could flirt with the best of them, and he loved to be the dominant in his relationships, but Damon was all heart and wanted to please his lover as much as possible. Sure, he flirted just like his brother, but in a more casual way. He loved to just have a good time, and keep things rolling. Finding his mate was a wonderful but completely unsettling dilemma.