Pack Council (4 page)

Adding a second finger, she pumped deeply and rocked her hips. She lowered her other hand and started to play with her clit again. Her breathing picked up, and her cunt tingled.

She climaxed with a small moan. The release was nice but nowhere close to what she was really craving.

Savannah removed her fingers from her pussy and picked the shower gel back up. She gave her body a quick wash. At least she felt warmer. Rinsing off, she smiled, thinking about Kurt showering with her the next time.

She had to get up early to make sure that her two promised dishes would be ready to take to Sara’s. Sara had told her that she’d given Kurt the job of bringing the salad since he was, after all, a man. Savannah had laughed at that. It was just another thing she needed to learn about the man she was interested in. Did he like to cook? If he didn’t, she could teach him a few easy but good meals.

Most of the information she did know about him she had got from Sara and Clint. But she wanted to know him, to find out what made him tick. There was only so much you could learn about someone without really spending time with them.

She wanted to know the little things about Kurt.

She turned off the water and reached blindly for the towel she’d hung over the shower rod. She wiped the water from her face, wondering about his habits. Did he prefer to shower in the morning or at night? Did he like to curl up on the couch and watch movies or was he more of a book person? Was he an early riser or did he like to sleep in?

Those were things she wanted to find out by experiencing them with him.

She would start working on finding the answers the next day.

Chapter Three

Kurt knew Sara had given him the easiest assignment of food for the dinner—a salad for eight. Not that difficult to do. He’d picked up the ingredients earlier in the week. He could have bought a pre-made salad—in fact Sara had probably thought he would—but he wanted to surprise her. She had, after all, been giving him a hard time about not being able to cook.

But he would show her. He had his laptop open on the counter with the web page that he had saved. He’d Googled simple, easy salad recipes and had found one that even he couldn’t screw up. Not that he was trying to impress anyone…

Oh hell, who was he kidding? He wanted to impress Savannah. And if he pleased Sara with his contribution to dinner she was sure to share that with her friend.

He’d already showered and dressed in his best pair of jeans and a dark blue long-sleeved Henley. After he was finished putting his ingredients together, he would be ready to go. He chopped up the iceberg lettuce then added it to the romaine he already had in the bowl.

He had about half an hour before he needed to leave for Clint’s. Living just a couple of blocks away would be convenient today since a snow storm had hit the night before. The first snow fall of year had come with two solid inches. Even now there were still small flurries falling. He hoped the roads weren’t bad. Since there hadn’t been time for the snow to melt and freeze again, he didn’t think they would be too dangerous and he really wanted Savannah to make it over for dinner.

He finished the last of the lettuce before lining up the carrots to slice. He worked quickly until he had all the ingredients inside the large plastic bowl he’d purchased. He snapped the lid before tossing it up in the air and catching it easily. It was a tossed salad, after all.

Laughing at himself, he set the bowl to the side and headed into the back of the house to get his boots and jacket. He paused by the front door and picked up his keys from the side table. He pressed the remote start and, hearing the two beeps, pocketed his keys.

The hall down to his bedroom had been painted tan and had a few pictures hung neatly on the wall. The majority of the pictures were of his unit in the Army. They’d served together for eight years and he missed his men. Clint was the only one he saw daily. The other members of his elite unit had spread out and gone their separate ways. They still kept in touch, but as time went by, the calls were becoming less and less frequent.

It was just another big change in his life.

He paused in front of the last photo—the most recent. This picture was of his younger brother Kenny and Kenny’s mate Todd. The scene captured was right after the two men had performed their mating ceremony. It had been a proud moment for Kurt to witness.

He wished Kenny and Todd had been able to come up for the day or long weekend but Kenny was still training Mike Jackson to take over his position with the Pack. Kurt understood that his brother couldn’t make it, even if he was disappointed. He wanted his brother to meet Savannah and Savannah to get to know his family. Christmas was just around the corner, though, and Kenny had promised to visit for that holiday.

He continued back to his bedroom that he’d decorated for comfort. The dark walls mixed nicely with his dark wood furniture. He didn’t have photos on his bedroom walls but instead had purchased a large mural for over his bed.

The art showcased a pack of wolves standing tall at the top of a hill. The artist had captured the sunset and the wolves looked strong and protective. He’d seen the mural for sale on the Internet and had just had to have it. It was the first large purchase he’d made for his new home.

He grabbed a pair of socks from his drawer before picking up his boots from by the end of the bed. He finished dressing quickly and headed out. He slung on his winter jacket before picking up his salad bowl.

One last look around to make sure that everything was in place and he was out of the door. His walkway wasn’t icy, but his boots crunched over the crisp snow. His truck heater warmed him as he opened the door and climbed inside. He appreciated the technology of the remote start. Not having to go outside in the winter to warm up your vehicle was fantastic.

He carefully pulled out of his drive and started towards his best friend’s house.

The drive to Clint and Sara’s was quiet. The streets were empty and the untouched snow that blanketed the town was gorgeous.

The sheriff’s vehicle and two other cars were already in the drive when he arrived. He recognised Savannah’s SUV and Ryan’s truck. Ryan was one of the guards at the Council compound and he was dating Sara’s assistant at the coffee shop, Cecil. Kurt liked both men and was glad to see they were joining them.

He parked behind Savannah and shut off his truck. He took a deep breath, grabbed the salad then hurried up to the front door. He knocked and the door was opened immediately by Clint.

“Good, you’re here,” Clint greeted and pulled him into a hug.

Kurt returned the embrace before pulling back and holding up his container. “And with food.”

Both men laughed. Clint closed the door and swung his arm around his shoulders, leading him away from the entry. “We’re hanging in the kitchen. Sara’s dad got a call about a small fender bender so she wants to wait for him before we eat.”

Clint caught the happy sound of conversation just before he entered the kitchen. Sara and Savannah were behind the kitchen island, covering the serving dishes with foil. Ryan sat at one of the bar stools with Cecil standing between his legs. Ryan lifted a beer to Kurt and Cecil gave him a small wave. Sara came around the counter to take the salad and gave him a quick hug.

He gave everyone a greeting, but his gaze was really locked on the other woman in the room. Savannah wore a pair of snug black pants and a bright red sweater, and her beautiful long blond hair cascaded down her back. She looked absolutely beautiful. She smiled at him then followed Sara’s lead and gave him a hug.

He slipped his arm around her waist and held on. “Happy Thanksgiving,” he murmured quietly.

“Happy Thanksgiving to you,” she responded, easily fitting in his embrace.

Clint opened the fridge and held out a bottle of beer in question. Kurt nodded. There was nothing better than a nice cold beer while gathering with friends. Clint popped the top off before he slid the bottle over to him. Kurt caught it and took a long pull.

Savannah and Sara were sipping on glasses of wine, talking about old friends from their school days. Ryan was teasing Cecil about his cooking. Kurt glanced up and met Clint’s gaze.

Clint was grinning at him. His eyes darted to Savannah then back to him. Clint’s eyebrow lifted in question.

Kurt just shrugged in response and ran his fingers up and down Savannah’s side.

Clint nodded in acceptance.

That few seconds of silent communication warmed Kurt. In his own way he had claimed Savannah and Clint accepted her as part of them. Kurt knew that Clint would look to protect Savannah at all costs, as Kurt would do with Sara. That was what they did for each other—looked out for one another and their loved ones.

A knock at the door had conversation halting around the island.

“That’s probably Tony,” Clint said, placing his beer on the counter. “I invited him to join us.”

Clint left the room, and Savannah looked up at Kurt. “Did you find anything else on the Church?”

“A little,” he admitted. “We have enough to draw a connection to all the parties, but we still don’t know the end game.”

Tony joined them in the kitchen. The stress and worry on his face was obvious.

“Everything okay?” Kurt asked his friend.

Tony nodded but didn’t look too sure. “Colt missed his check-in. I hate when that happens.”

“How long?” Clint questioned, coming up behind Tony.

“He was supposed to call last night,” Tony informed them.

It was a little before noon now. Kurt frowned. “When was the last time you spoke to him?”

“Three days ago.” Tony accepted a bottle of beer from Clint. “He’s missed check-ins before but never this long. There’s probably nothing to worry about. He knows to get out if he thinks there’s any danger.”

The words were there, but there was no feeling behind them. “If you need anything at all, you let me know,” Kurt told him.

Tony smiled. “I will. But let’s not think about it right now. Colt can take care of himself and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s holiday.”

“You’re not ruining anything,” Sara assured him. “But if we don’t eat soon the food won’t be as good. I’ll make my dad a plate when he comes back.”

Sara and Savannah started to instruct the men on where to put dishes. The kitchen table had been pulled away from the wall and a leaf had been added to make the seating fit eight people instead of four.

The table had already been set and after the food was arranged, they took their seats. Kurt was pleased when Savannah sat between him and Tony. He liked having her so close and knew he didn’t have to worry about Tony hitting on her.

Food began to be passed around the table and Kurt filled his plate with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, salad, casserole and cranberry sauce. He looked at his overflowing dish and grinned.

Savannah elbowed him. “What are you smiling about?”

Kurt chuckled. “I was just thinking about last Thanksgiving,” he told her. Clint snorted next to him.

“Oh?” Savannah inquired.

“We were chasing a rogue in South America,” Kurt said, still laughing.

“Fucking MREs,” Clint grumbled.

“That’s just wrong!” Savannah exclaimed.

Kurt stabbed a piece of turkey. “Yeah, and the company wasn’t as good.”

“That little shit was psycho,” Clint added. “We caught up to him the day before Thanksgiving and couldn’t get a flight back until Friday.”

“I thought Clint was going to skin and roast the little pissant,” Kurt continued, still laughing.

“Thought about it,” Clint admitted. “Would have been better than the MREs we ate.”

Everyone around the table laughed.

They settled down to eat and it was some of the best food that Kurt had ever tasted. He’d really missed family gatherings during the holidays. He hadn’t had much downtime and looked forward to more celebrations like this.

He looked over at Savannah, knowing he wanted to spend them with her.

Savannah was in heaven. Good food, great company and a handsome man at her side. It was one of the best holidays she’d had in a long time.

She’d been on patrol in Arizona the year before. The weather had been warm and without the calendar she wouldn’t have even known it was Thanksgiving. At one of her stops, a store owner she’d become friendly with had given her a Tupperware with turkey and all the fixings.

So it had turned out to be a good day. But nothing compared to this year. She’d woken that morning to the sight of snow-covered lawns and had been very pleased. She had missed the snow while she had lived in Arizona. The only season that Arizona had was summer. It was hot, always hot, and even at the end of November, there was little break from the heat.

Once the food had been consumed, she tried to get up to help clear the table, but Sara and Cecil wouldn’t let her. The two of them worked together well and she could see why the coffee shop ran so smoothly. They cleared the table quickly and started to make coffee.

Cecil came back to the table and started to pass out cups of coffee. The aroma of the coffee wafted up and she took a deep breath. She took a sip and moaned.

Sara took her seat and grinned. “Good?”

“I don’t know how you do it. This is fantastic,” Savannah told her.

“She’s a genius,” Clint complimented and kissed Sara’s cheek.

Sara blushed. “It’s not that difficult.”

Cecil laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m usually the one that has to try them all and it’s a long process.”

Sara snorted. “You love it.”

The younger man shrugged. “Perks of the job.”

“Well, it goes perfectly with the meal,” Kurt praised.

“It was a good meal,” Sara agreed. “But I have to say I didn’t expect a salad like that from you. I figured you would get one of the pre-made salads from the grocery store.”

Kurt beamed. “I know.” He looked pleased that she’d mentioned it.

Sara narrowed her eyes. “You did make the salad, right? It doesn’t count if someone made it for you.” She looked between Kurt and Savannah.

Savannah held up her hands. “It wasn’t me, I swear.”

Kurt laughed. “I knew you gave me the salad because you didn’t think I could make anything else.”